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DUKE 
UNIVERSITY 


A Standard History 


Williams County, Ohio 


An‘Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention 
to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, 


Educational, Civic and Social Development 


Prepared under the Editorial Supervision of 
HON. CHARLES A. BOWERSOX 


Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors 


VOLUME Il 


PLEUCSTRALED 


THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 
1920 


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History of Williams County 


J. ArtER WEAvER.—When, in 1917, Judge Weaver was elected 
to preside on the bench of the Probate Court of Williams County, he 
had the distinction of being the youngest man, with one exception, ever 
elected to this office in the State of Ohio, and in Williams County only 
one other candidate of equal youthfulness has been called to this office 
—Hon. Charles A. Bowersox. Judge Weaver is a native son of this 
county and his eligibility for the important office of which he is now 
the incumbent was fortified by his having previously been graduated 
in the law department of the Ohio Northern University, and had been 
actively engaged in the work of his profession for a period of two 
years. 

Judge Weaver was born at Montpelier, Williams County, Ohio, 
April 20, 1885, and is a son of Jacob F. and Hattie L. (Arter) 
Weaver, he having been but six days old at the time of his mother’s 
death, and having then been taken into the home of his paternal grand- 
mother, with whom he remained until her death, when he was four 
years of age. Again deprived of fostering care, the future probate 
judge was then taken in charge by his aunt, Mrs. Addie C. (Weaver) 
Gilcher, whose husband -was a prosperous farmer southeast of Mont- 
pelier. There he remained until he was thirteen years old, and in the 
meanwhile he had attended school and also begun to gain experience 
in connection with farm operations. At the age noted he went to the 
home of his father, who had contracted a second marriage, and thus 
he was enabled to attend the public schools at Montpelier, where he 
was graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1905. 
In 1907 he was graduated in the law department of the Ohio Northern 
University, and in June, 1907, he was admitted to the bar of his native 
state. For two years thereafter he was engaged in the practice of his 
profession at Montpelier, and he then assumed active management of 
his father’s farm, in Bridgewater Township. There he remained three 
years, at the expiration of which he became an exponent of agricul- 
tural industry in Center Township. He proved an energetic, progres- 
sive and successful farmer, but in 1917 he became the republican 


3 


+ HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


candidate for the office of judge of the Probate Court of Williams 
County, the majority which he received at the ensuing election attest- 
ing the popular estimate placed upon him in his native county. He 
assumed his official duties at the courthouse, in Bryan, and his admin- 
istration of probate affairs has fully justified his selection for the office 
in which he is serving with marked efficiency and acceptability. The 
position is no sinecure, as may readily be understood, but Judge 
Weaver has naught of the attributes of a slacker, as proved by his 
herculean labors during his career as a farmer, as well as by his 


punctilious and careful service in his present office. He is influential 


in the local councils of the republican party, his Masonic affiliations 


include membership in the commandery of Knights Templar at Bryan, 


and both he and his wife are active members of the Church of God, 
at Ada, Hardin County. 
Judge Weaver is of sterling German ancestry in both the paternal 
and maternal lines, but the respective families were early founded in 
Pennsylvania, the original representatives in Wayne County, Ohio, 
having come to this state from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Jacob 
F. Weaver, father of the subject of this review, was most influential 
in the civic and material development and advancement of “Montpelier, 
Williams County, where, as a successful real estate dealer, he platted 
and improved four additions to the village, many houses having been 
erected and sold by him and one of the handsome homes thus built by 
him having been a fine stone house which he erected for his own use 
and which he and his wife occupied during the last two years of his 
life, his death occurring in December, 1917. This is one of the finest 
homes in Williams County. Mr. Weaver is survived by his second 
wife, whose maiden name was Martha McCrea, and their only child, 
Lisle M., was a member of the class of 1920 in the law department 
of the Ohio Northern University, and now practicing law in Bryan. 


Curtis D. GARDNER, vice president of the Farmers National Bank 
of Bryan, the judicial center of Williams County, was born and reared 
in this county, with whose history the family name has been promi- 
nently identified for nearly seventy years. Those influentially con- 
cerned in banking enterprise represent composite business more than 
any other class of workers, and their attitude can form public opinion 
to a greater extent in any community than can any other one agency. 
Mr. Gardner has not only become one of the prominent figures in 
banking enterprise in his native county, but continues as one of the 
representative factors in agricultural industry in this part of the state, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 5, 


his finely improved farm property being partly in Williams County 
and partly in Defiance County. Appreciative of the manifold advan- 
tages of this favored section of the Buckeye state, he is signally loyal 
and public-spirited in his civic attitude and as one of the representa- 
tive men of his native county he is entitled to special recognition in 
this history. 

On the old homestead farm of his father, in Center Township, 
Williams County, Curtis D. Gardner was born March 2, 1852, a son 
of Moses and Jane (Taylor) Gardner, who were born and reared in 
Pennsylvania, where their marriage was solemnized and whence they 
came to Williams County, Ohio, within a short time thereafter. Their 
arrival in the county occurred in 1843, and the father secured a tract 
of unimproved land in section 33, Center Township. With characteris- 
tic vigor and judgment he set himself to the task of clearing away the 
timber on the land and making it available for cultivation. His first 
house was a log cabin of the true pioneer type, and, with increasing 
prosperity, he later erected the substantial frame house which is still 
standing on his old homestead, in excellent preservation. Here he con- 
tinued to reside until his death, which occurred when he was about 
seventy-one years of age, and his widow passed the closing period of 
her life at Bryan, where she died at the venerable age of seventy-three 
years. Mr. Gardner developed and improved a valuable farm prop- 
erty of 540 acres and was one of the substantial and highly honored 
citizens of the county. His political faith was that of the democratic 
party, and while he had no ambition for public office he served a 
number of years as treasurer of Center Township, his election to this. 
position having been a concrete testimony to the unqualified confidence 
and esteem in which he was held in the community in which he long 
maintained his home and to the social and material advancement of 
which he contributed his due share. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner became 
the parents of eight children, of whom four are living: Mary, the 
widow of Marion Brannon, died April, 1920; Curtis D. is the imme-- 
diate subject of this review; William H. resides at Bryan, where he is 
living virtually retired; and Isaac E. is a resident of the City of 
Toledo, this state. 

Curtis D. Gardner was reared to the sturdy discipline of the old 

-home farm and in the meanwhile profited fully by the advantages 
afforded in the village school at Williams Center. He continued to be 
actively associated with the work of his father’s farm until the time 
of his marriage, and he then began independent operations on a farm 
of eighty acres, in Farmer Township. Industry and good manage- 


6 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ment brought to him cumulative success, and the most tangible evidence 
of this is that given in his ownership at the present time of a valuable 
farm estate of 280 acres in Defiance County, besides his fine farm of 
160 acres in Center Township, Williams County. Though he continues 
to give his personal’ supervision to his farm enterprise, Mr. Gardner 
has given his financial co-operation in the furtherance of numerous 
institutions that have been influential in furthering the prosperity and 
progress of his home county. In addition to being vice president of 
the Farmers National Bank of Bryan he is a stockholder in the Union 


Trust Company of Bryan, is vice president of the Bryan Hardware =~ 


Company, and a director of each the Bryan Motor Service Company 
and the Bryan Plumbing & Heating Company. In politics he is found 
aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause of the democratic party, but 
he has had no desire to enter the arena of so-called practical politics. In 
the time-honored Masonic fraternity he is affiliated with Bryan Lodge, 
No. 215, Free and Accepted Masons; Northwest Chapter, No. 45, 
Royal Arch Masons; Bryan Council, No. 101, Royal and Select Mas- 
ters; and Defiance Commandery, No. 30, Knights Templar. 

In 1874 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Gardner to Miss Ida 
J. Mills, a daughter of the late Hugh Mills, of Williams County, and 
they have two children: Clarence is a representative buyer and shipper 
of livestock in Williams County; Laura J. was graduated in the high 
school, later attended a leading academic school in the City of Detroit, 
Michigan, and finally, after completing a course in pianoforte work, 
she was graduated in the celebrated musical conservatory of Oberlin 
College; she is now director of Camp No. 19, at Asheville, North 
Carolina, where she is also director of music and has general super- 
vision of the camp cafeteria. 


Exiet T. Brnns, who is now living virtually retired at Bryan, the 
judicial center of Williams County, was for forty years a representa- 
tive merchant of this village, even as he has been loyal and progres- 
sive as a citizen. He was born at Leroy, Medina County, Ohio, 
September 16, 1850, and is a son of Samuel and Ellen (Taylor) Binns, 
both of whom were born in England, and in the same year, 1817. The 
parents were reared and educated in their native land, where their 
marriage was solemnized, and whence, in 1837, they immigrated to 
the United States and first established their residence in New York 
City, where the father found employment in the work of his profes- 
sion, that of taxidermist, in which he was especially skillful and as a 
representative of which he was employed for a time by Phineas T. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 7 


Barnum, the great circus man. He remained in the national metropolis 
three years and then, in 1841, came to Ohio and established his home in 
Medina County. In England he had gained also a practical training 
in the tailor’s trade, and at Leroy, Medina County, he opened a tailor 
shop, which he conducted until 1855. He was a man of marked 
intellectuality and studious habits, and his deep Christian faith finally 
led to his being ordained a clergyman of the Universalist Church, in 
the active service of which he continued during the remainder of his 
life. He held various pastoral charges, and his last ministerial 
incumbency was at Lyons, Fulton County, whence he removed to 
Fayette, that county, where he died in the year 1889, revered by all 
who had come within the compass of his kindly and benignant 
influence. He was a republican in politics and was affiliated with the 
Masonic fraternity. His wife survived him by several years and of 
their five children three are living—John W., a prosperous farmer 
near Fayette, Fulton County ; Sarah, the wife of Otis Ford, of Fayette; 
and Eliel Taylor Binns, the immediate subject of this sketch. 

Eliel T. Binns had the advantages of a home of distinctive culture 
and refinement and his early education was obtained in the public 
schools of his native state, including those of Fayette, Fulton County, 
and the Fayette Academy, he having been seventeen years of age at 
the time of the family removal to that county. In 1871, about the 
time of attaining his legal majority, he came to Bryan, where he found 
employment in a dry goods store, at very modest wages. He continued 
his clerical service about seven years and then, in 1878, here opened 
a modest dry goods establishment and engaged in business in an inde- 
pendent way. Effective service to patrons gained to him in the passing 
years a substantial and profitable trade, and he was one of the leading 
merchants of the city at the time of his retirement, in 1908. He has 
not been content, however, to become inactive, after so many years 
of earnest and productive enterprise, and he gives his attention at the 
present time to the general insurance business and the extending of 
financial loans on approved security. He and his wife are zealous 
and influential members of the Universalist Church at Bryan, and he 
is a member of its board of trustees. He is affiliated with the Bryan 
lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, and at Defiance, judicial center 
of the county of the same name, he holds membership in Defiance 
Commandery, No. 30, Knights Templar, besides which he is affiliated 
with Zenobia Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of 
the Mystic Shrine, in the City of Toledo. He is a staunch supporter 
of the principles of the republican party, and though he has ever been 


8 | HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


liberal and progressive as a citizen he has had no desire for the honors 
or emoluments of political office. He is today one of the most 
respected and influential men of Williams County and has done much 
to advance the civic and material prosperity of Bryan. He has been 
for years the president of the Bryan Business Men’s Association, is 
the owner of six rooms utilized by representative mercantile concerns 
of the city, and has erected and sold forty-five houses in Bryan. No 
one citizen has done more for the upbuilding of the town than has he, 
as he has been liberal in supporting the various manufacturing enter- 
prises and other industries and active in securing new enterprises of 
this order for his home town. He was chairman of the county tem- 
perance committee which played a most important part in obliterating 
the liquor traffic in Williams County and was also influential in the 
furtherance of prohibition in the state. He was assistant chairman of 
the county committee which had charge of exploiting the first Liberty 
loan in Williams County incidental to the late World war, and was 
chairman of the committee which had charge of the promotion of the 
second and third Governmental loans in the county, his resignation 
from this position having occurred at the time when the fifth loan was 
projected, as he felt physically unable to carry forward this final 
campaign. 

In 1882 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Binns to Miss Rhoda 
E. Lane, daughter of the late John Lane, who was a representative 
farmer in Defiance County. Mr. and Mrs. Binns have one daughter, 
Laura, a graduate of Vassar College, is now the wife of Leigh B. 
Lynch, of Pontiac, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Binns take much pride 
in the fact that they have three grandsons and one granddaughter. 
Mrs. Binns has been a leader in church and social activities in her 
home community. 


F. M. Bruns.—The study of the life of the representative 
American never fails to offer much of pleasing interest and valuable 
instruction, developing a mastering of expedients which has brought 
about remarkable results. F. M. Bruns, well-known cashier of the 
Exchange Bank of H. F. Bruns, at Stryker, is a worthy representative 
of that type of American character and of that progressive spirit which 
promotes public good while advancing individual prosperity. Because 
of his business ability and public-spirited interest in the affairs of the 
community, he is held in high esteem by all who know him. 

F. M. Bruns was born in the Town of Stryker, Ohio, on Septem- 
ber 24, 1887, and is the son of H. F. and Rose B. (Drum) Bruns, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 9 


the former born in Germany on November 7, 1852, and the latter in 
Pennsylvania on April 11, 1856. Henry F. Bruns came to the United 
States at the age of seventeen years and located first at Napoleon, 
Ohio, where he was employed at farm work. Subsequently be became 
a clerk for S. M. Heller & Company. Later he went into business 
on his own account at Florida, Ohio, and in 1884 he engaged in the 
dry goods business at Defiance, Ohio, in which he was very success- 
ful. In 1891 Mr. Bruns opened the Exchange Bank of H. F. Bruns 
at Stryker, of which he is still sole owner, and which has through 
three decades stood as one of the strong and influential financial insti- 
tutions of this section of the county. He and his wife are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church and in politics he gives his support 
to the republican party. To him and his wife were born two children, 
F. M. and Marion. The latter graduated from the Stryker High School 
and was then for one year a student in-the Martha Washington Semi- 
nary. She is now the wife of V. J. Silliman, of New York City. 
During the World war he held a commission as second lieutenant in 
the Quartermaster Corps, and is now assistant to H. I. Shephard, 
finaricial head of the Willys Corporation of New York City. 

F. M. Bruns was reared and educated in Stryker, being a graduate 
of the high school. He was then a student in Phillips Exeter Academy 
and on the completion of his studies he entered his father’s bank as 
assistant cashier, subsequently becoming cashier, which position he 
still fills. He is thoroughly qualified for the position and because of 
his business ability and his sterling qualities of character, he enjoys 
the respect and confidence of the entire community. The Bruns, 
father and son, have for years been prominent in the business and 
public affairs of the community and have been influential in’ support- 
ing and advancing various enterprises of public benefit. H. F. Bruns 
is one of the directors of the Farmers National Bank of Bryan, hav- 
ing held that relation for more than twenty-five years. He is treasurer 
of the Bruns-Bowersox Land & Lumber Company and treasurer of 
the Stryker Boat-Oar & Lumber Company. F. M. Bruns took an 
active and effective part in the various war activities, especially as per- 
taining to the national loans, having served as chairman of Springfield 
Township for the first four Liberty loans and district chairman for 
Brady, Pulaski and Springfield townships in the Victory loan, as well 
as chairman of the United War Work campaign. 

On December 30, 1908, Mr. F. M. Bruns was married to Ruth E. 
Royce, who was a graduate of the Stryker High School and later a 
student of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. They have one daugh- 


10 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ter, Virginia Louise, born on May 29, 1911. Mrs. Bruns is a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically Mr. Bruns is a repub- 
lican. Fraternally, he is a member of Evansport Lodge No. 511, Free 
and Accepted Masons, of which he is senior warden; Northwest 
Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons; Bryan Council, Royal and Select 
Masters; Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar ; the Toledo 
Consistory of the Scottish Rite (thirty-second degree) and the Ancient 
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Toledo, Ohio; Lodge 
No. 432, Knights of Pythias, of which he is the keeper of records and 


seal for the past five years; Stryker Lodge No. 611, Independent Order 


of Odd Fellows, and of Defiance Council No. 407, United Commercial 
Travelers. He has taken a healthy interest in everything pertaining to 
the activities of his community and is a popular member of the circles 
in which he moves. 


Martin T. Hopson.—Because of the extent and quality of his 
usefulness, his commercial soundness and acumen, his public spirit 
and integrity, and his nearness to the fundamental requirements of 
citizenship, Martin T. Hodson, president of the Pioneer Banking Com- 
pany, of Pioneer, Ohio, affords an encouraging example of success 
gained through the proper use of every-day abilities and opportunities. 
Of Mr. Hodson it may be said that his career is a response both to his 
early teaching and to the needs of his environment. He was born on 
a farm in Bridgewater Township, Williams County, Ohio, four miles 
southwest of Pioneer, December 10, 1855, and is a son of Thomas and 
Elizabeth (Stephenson) Hodson, the latter a native of near Mansfield, 
Richland County, Ohio. 

Thonias Hodson was born in England, and after the death of his 
father accompanied his widowed mother to the United States at the 
age of nine years. Reared in Williams County, as a youth he went 
to Richland County, where later he was married, and in 1854 came to 
Bridgewater Township, this county, where he spent the rest of his 
career. As a young married man he worked by the month until he 
was able to purchase his first farm in Richland County, and after com- 
ing to Williams County continued his industrious and intelligent work 
to such good effect that he became one of the substantial men of his 
community. He was a reader and student, qualified as an attorney, 
and was frequently called upon to deliver public addresses and to 
speak for candidates during electoral campaigns. He was independent 
in politics, while his fraternal connection was with the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, which he joined at an early day. He and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY At 


Mrs. Hodson were consistent members of the Christian Church. They 
were the parents of seven children, of whom one died at the age of 
thirteen years, the others reaching maturity, as follows: George and 
Job, who are residents of Montpelier, Ohio; Martin T.; Mary, the 
wife of A. J. Bostetter, of Montpelier ; Sophia A., the widow of Henry 
Umbenhaur, of Toledo; and Minnie H., the widow of George Letcher, 
of Berkeley, California. 

Martin T. Hodson was reared on the home farm four miles south- 
west of Pioneer, and acquired his education in the district schools. 
When he was only fourteen years of age he began clerking in a general 
store, and three years later started in business on his own account at 
Pioneer. Commencing in a modest manner, he gradually developed 
his interests and increased his holdings. He installed a fine, clean and 
varied line of goods, charged reasonable prices and gave ample returns. 
The subterfuge of misrepresentation was relentlessly tabooed from 
his establishment, and in consequence he became thoroughly trusted 
and relied upon by the larger part of the town and surrounding coun- 
try. Gradually, the farmers began to deposit money with him and this 
practice finally became so common that he was forced to open a private 
bank. Later he moved to the location of his present institution and 
took in two partners, J. A. Grant and Dr. George Young, and this was 
incorporated as a state bank in 1913, with Mr. Hodson as president; 
A. F. Young as vice president, and J. A. Grant, cashier; H. G. Young 
being secretary and the board of directors consisting of M. T. Hodson, 
Fred M. Hodson, A. F. Young, H. G. Young, J. A. Grant and 
A. Grant. Mr. Hodson is the owner of several farms and much town 
property, has a fruit farm in Cuba and is interested in a number of 
other ventures. 

Mr. Hodson married Emma D. Eggleston, who was born in Madi- 
son Township, Williams County, Ohio, one mile south of Pioneer, and 
was educated in the schools of this place, in which she later became 
a teacher. To Mr. and Mrs. Hodson there has come one son, Fred 
M., born November 2, 1880, a graduate of the Pioneer schools and 
of the university at Ada in pharmacy, who is now associated in busi- 
ness with his father. He married Grace Sibley and they are the 
parents of two children: Catherine, born in 1911, and Phyllis, born in 
1917. Fred M. Hodson is a thirty-second degree Mason and a mem- 
ber of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias. The family attend 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 


{2 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


LeLanp S. Houtron.—An esteemed and highly respected resident 
of Edgerton, Williams County, Leland S. Houlton was for many 
years actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. A native of Indiana, 
he was born, February 11, 1887, in Franklin Township, Dekalb 
County, Indiana, a son of Lewis and Rhoda (Martin) Houlton. His 
grandfather, John Houlton, was in very truth a pioneer of that town- 
ship, he having been the first white man to locate in Dekalb County, 
Indiana, while his son Samuel, a half brother of Lewis Houlton, 
was the first white child born in Franklin Township. 


Leland S. Houlton was born and brought up on a portion of the 


original homestead which his paternal grandfather entered from the 
Government, and was educated in the rural schools of his native 
township. He still owns one hundred and nine acres of the old home 
farm, which is mostly under cultivation. 

Mr. Houlton married Jessie Hathaway, a daughter of Dr. Calvin 
Hathaway, who was actively. engaged in the practice of his chosen 
profession in Edgerton for a full half century. Beginning the study 
of medicine in the College of Medicine at Ann Arbor, Michigan, 
Calvin Hathaway subsequently entered the Cincinnati, Ohio, College 
of Medicine, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor 
of Medicine. He entered the United States Army service as surgeon 
in the Civil war in the One Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, and after the war located in Edgerton, Williams County, 
Ohio, and having won the well-deserved reputation of being one of the 
most skillful and able physicians in this part of the state, built up a 
large and highly remunerative practice. For four years Doctor Hatha- 
way was a member of the United States Pension Board at Toledo, 
Ohio, and of the board at Bryan, Ohio, for twenty-six years. During 
the Civil war, the doctor served as a surgeon in the Union Army, 
gaining an experience in medicine and surgery that was of much value 
to him in his professional career. A man of good business ability and 
judgment, he accumulated considerable wealth. 

Dr. Hathaway married Harriet E. Hutchenson, and of their union 
four children were born, as follows: Paul and Azalia both died in 
infancy; Lodema, a graduate of the Edgerton High School, and of 
Hillsdale College, died in Edgerton, Ohio, in March, 1898; and 
Jessie, now Mrs. Houlton. The doctor was a republican in politics, 
and a member of the Knights of Pythias. 

Mrs. Houlton was educated in Edgerton, being graduated from its 
high school with the class of 1896, after which she taught school one 
term. For two years thereafter she held a responsible position in 


a) 
vs 
> ae 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 13 


the Farmers National Bank of Bryan, and then returned to her home 
in Edgerton. At the present time Mrs. Houlton, who has inherited 
to a marked degree the business ability and tact of her father, is 
assistant cashier of the Farmers Commercial Bank at Edgerton, and 
one of its directors. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Houlton, Calvin 
H. Houlton, died in infancy. 


Henry W. Etris—In the career of Henry W. Ellis, of Bryan, 
there is presented a lesson for the youth of any land, something to be 
found in it of a nature encouraging to the young aspirant who, with- 
out friends or fortune, is struggling to overcome obstacles in his efforts 
to establish a comfortable competence. Mr. Ellis has trod the difficult 
self-made road to success. When he entered upon his career he was 
forced to depend solely upon his own resources. Today, after thirty 
years of connection with the insurance, loan and real estate interests 
of Williams County, he is rightly accounted one of the leading busi- 
ness citizens of his community, and may look back with pardonable 
pride over a business record, substantial though modest, which stands 
without a blemish. 

Mr. Ellis was born at Fayette, Fulton County, Ohio, November 
30, 1861, a son of Philip and Anna (Holden) Ellis, natives of Lincoln- 
shire, England, where they were reared, educated and married. The 
parents came to the United States in 1856 and located at Fayette, 
Ohio, subsequently going to Lyons, where both died, the mother in 
1871. They were members first of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
and later of the United Brethren Church, and Mr. Ellis became a 
republican in politics after coming to this country. Of the four chil- 
dren in the family, three are living: John T. and William O., resi- 
dents of Seattle, Washington; and Henry W. of Bryan, Ohio. 

Henry W. Ellis was only ten years of age when his mother died, 
and when he was sixteen years of age left the paternal roof to make 
his own way in the world. He had attended the public schools of 
Fayette and subsequently managed to complete a four-year term at 
the Fayette Normal and Business College, which formed his prepara- 
tion for business affairs and gave him a good practical education. 
When he was about nineteen years of age, he taught his first term 
of school, and for the ten years that followed devoted himself to the 
work of the educator. In 1885 he removed to Stryker, where he 
continued to be a teacher until 1890, then giving up educational work 
to adopt the business of life insurance and mortgage loans for the 
Union Central Life Insurance Company, which he continued to follow 


14 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


there until 1892. That year saw Mr. Ellis’ arrival at the county seat of 
Williams County, which has been his home ever since. Here he has 
developed a large and lucrative business in the line of insurance, loans 
and real estate, and maintains well-appointed offices in the First 
National Bank Building. As a realtor, Mr. Ellis has handled much 
city and country property and has been the medium through which 
a number of large and important deals have been consummated. He 
is accounted an expert as to values, this adding to his equipment for 
the loan department of his business, and few men are better known 


in the insurance field, he being the representative of some of the = 


leading companies of the country at Bryan. Mr. Ellis is a stockholder 
in the First National Bank of Bryan, the Williams County Telephone 
Company, the Bryan Pattern and Machine Company, and the Bryan 
Realty Company. In 1912 he erected a modern home at the corner 
of Maple and Lynn streets, which is one of the attractive and comfort- 


able residences of Bryan. Mr. Ellis also takes an interest in fraternal. 


work, being past chancellor of the local lodge of the Knights of 
Pythias and a former member of the grand lodge of the state. In 
politics he is a republican, but public life has not attracted him and 
he confines his interest in political matters to that taken by every 
good and public-spirited citizen. With his family, he belongs to the 
Universalist Church, and is a member of the board of trustees thereof. 

In 1888 Mr. Ellis was united in marriage with Miss Allie Kintigh, 
who was born near Stryker, Ohio, and educated in the public schools 
of that place. They are the parents of three children: Frances, a 
graduate of Bryan High School, who spent two years at Oberlin 
College, married Ross O. Stine, of Bryan, a graduate of the University 
of Wisconsin, and has one son, William; Charles W., a graduate of 
the Bryan High School and. the University of Wisconsin, served 
twenty-one months in the United States Army, being nine months over- 
seas, and was a non-commissioned officer: he married Miss Agnes 
S. Grady of St. Louis, Missouri, and has one son, James W.; and 
Virginia, who is attending the Bryan public schools. 


C. H. Boonr.—The life history of him whose name heads this 
sketch is closely identified with the history of Montpelier, Ohio. His 
life has been one of untiring activity and has been crowned with a 
degree of success attained by those only who devote themselves inde- 
fatigably to the work before them. He is of a high type of a business 
man and none more than he deserves a fitting recognition among the 
men whose genius and abilities have achieved results that are most 
enviable and commendable. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 15 


C. H. Boone, proprietor of the Boone Lumber Company, at Mont- 
pelier, Ohio, was born néar Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, on Decem- 
ber 29, 1849, and is the son of Thomas and Anna (Criss) Boone. 
These parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, where they were 
reared to maturity and were married. Eventually they came to Ohio, 
settling near Wooster, where they engaged in farming and where 
they spent the remainder of their lives. They were faithful members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Boone gave his support 
to the republican party. They were parents of the following children: 
W. S., of Montpelier, Ohio; Elizabeth, the wife of E. D. Pinkerton, 
of Wooster, Ohio; C. H., the subject of this sketch; Ruth A., deceased ; 
Joseph N., of Akron, Ohio; Mattie, the wife of Dr. Bucher, of Wheat- 
field, Indiana; Lucy, the wife of George Getts, of Massilon, Ohio. 

C. H. Boone was reared on the paternal farm near Wooster, Ohio, 
and secured a good practical common school education. After his mar- 
riage, which occurred in 1876, he lived on a farm in Wayne County 
for five or six years, and then went into business in Akron, Ohio, 
but in 1882 sold out there and came to Williams County. Locating 
at Montpelier, Mr. Boone went into the sawmill business, to which 
he later added the lumber yards, and he has been identified with 
this business continually» since. For seven years he was associated 
with his brothers, under the name of C. H. Boone & Company, but 
at the end of that time he acquired sole ownership of the business 
and is still so conducting it. He is ably assisted in this work by 
his sons, and the combination has been one of peculiar efficiency. The 
Boone lumber yards are well stocked with all kinds of lumber and 
building stock and their trade covers a wide range of surrounding 
country. 

In 1876 Mr. Boone was married to Alice Clippinger, who was born 
in Dalton, Ohio, and their union has been blessed by the birth of four 
sons, namely: R. A., who is secretary of the Boone Lumber Com- 
pany; L. L., who is manager of the company; R. C., treasurer of the 
company, and W. S., who is connected with the Goodyear Rubber 
Company, at Buffalo, New York. Mrs. Boone is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Boone is a member of the Knights 
of Pythias, being a past chancellor of his lodge and a member of the 
Grand Lodge. Politically, he has been a lifelong supporter of the repub- 
lican party and for fourteen consecutive years he served as a member 
of the Montpelier Council. While he has carried on a special line 
of business in such a manner as to gain a comfortable competence 
for himself, he has also belonged to that class of representative men 


16 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


of affairs who promote the public welfare while advancing individual 
success, and he has so ordered his life as to gain the unlimited confi- 
dence and esteem of the entire community. , 


JosepH BurkHart.—A prominent and prosperous agriculturist, 
and an extensive land holder, Joseph Burkhart, of St. Joseph Town- 
ship, is widely known as proprietor of Twin Elm Farm, which con- 
.sists of 260 acres of land, twenty acres of which lies in Dekalb 
County, Indiana. He also owns another farm of 240 acres in the 
same township, and is carrying on general farming and stock raising _ 
most successfully. A son of George Burkhart, he was born, May 12, 
1858, in Crawford County, Ohio, where he lived until twelve years 
of age. 

Born and educated in Pennsylvania, George Burkhart came to 
Ohio in early manhood, locating in Crawford County, where he ran 
a sawmill for a few seasons. Moving to Bucyrus, in the same county, 
he took charge of a furnace. He subsequently invented the old 
Excelsior reaper, the first one that had a patent dropper, and traveled 
on the road selling the machines. Coming to Williams County with 
his family in 1869, he spent his remaining years on a farm in St. 
Joseph Township. He was a democrat in politics, and a member of 
the Evangelical Church, with which he was prominently identified. 
He married Roxanna Songer, who was born in Pennsylvania, and as 
a child came with her parents to Ohio, locating in Crawford County. 
Of the children born of their marriage, seven are living, as follows: 
Joseph, the special subject of this sketch; Sarah, wife of Solomon 
Suffel, living near Montpelier, Williams County; Samuel F., engaged 
in farming in St. Joseph Township; Frank, of Edgerton; Ida, wife 
of Chester Isenhood; Anna, wife of John Richmond; and Sophia, the 
eldest child of the parental household, wife of Daniel Mowery, of 
St. Louis, Missouri. 

Coming with the family to Williams County in 1869, Joseph Burk- 
hart was educated in the district schools, and after finishing his studies 
spent many years on the home farm, remaining with his parents until 
twenty-five years old. Choosing the free and independent occupation 
to which he was reared, Mr. Burkhart has met with no failures in his 
undertakings, at the present writing having title to 400 acres of choice 
land, from which he reaps bountiful harvests, the rich soil responding 
readily to his methods of culture. 

Mr. Burkhart married, December 25, 1884, Aletta Casebere, who 
was born in Tracy Township, Dekalb County, Indiana, December 


a 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 17 


15, 1866, a daughter of George Casebere, and granddaughter of John 
and Nancy (Smiley) Casebere, who settled in Williams County, Ohio, 
in 1840. George Casebere was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 
1832, and died in July, 1896. His wife, whose maiden name was _ 
Elizabeth Kinsely, was born in Canal Dover, Tuscarawas County, 
Ohio, November 2, 1835, and died in 1893. Four children were born 
of their union, as follows: Lee Casebere, of Bryan, Ohio; Solomon, 
of Butler, Indiana; Marshall, deceased; and Aletta, now Mrs. 
Burkhart. 

Mr. and Mrs. Burkhart have three children, namely: Ora Glenn, 
born July 5, 1885, married Ethel Spaulding; Earl Lyston, born August 
22, 1888, is single, and lives at home; and Arthur Dale, born February 
11, 1890, who was graduated from the Edgerton High School, and 
the Fort Wayne Business College, married Jette Kimball. Mr. Burk- 
hart is a democrat in politics, and Mrs. Burkhart, true to the religious 
faith in which she was reared, is an active member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

Samuel F. Burkhart, brother of Joseph Burkhart, was born in 
Crawford County, Ohio, near Bucyrts, June 6, 1862, and at the age 
of seven years came with his parents to Saint Joseph Township, where 
he acquired his early knowledge of books, and became acquainted 
with the various branches of agriculture. Finding farming both agree- 
able and profitable, he turned his attention to agriculture when young, 
and has now 180 acres of land in his home farm, and is managing 
it with exceptionally good results. He has accumulated considerable 
property, in addition to the farm which he now occupies having for- 
merly had title to sixty-five acres nearby, and is a stockholder in the 
Farmers Commercial Bank of Edgerton. 

Mr. Burkhart married Lena Landel, and they have three children, 
namely: Charles, a graduate of the Edon High School; Oscar, a 
graduate of the Edgerton High School, is now, in 1920, a sophomore 
in the University of Illinois, at Urbana; and Raymond, a student in 
the Edgerton High School. Mr. Burkhart is a prominent and useful 
member of the Evangelical Church, in which he is an elder, and is” 
an active worker in the Sunday School, which he has served as super- 
intendent. He is a steadfast democrat in politics, and has served as 
a member, and as president, of the local school board. 


Wittiam M. Kurrz has spent all his life in Northwestern Ohio, 
is a successful farmer in St. Joseph Township, and is a veteran of 
the threshing business. He owns a large acreage and a valuable 

Vol. 1I—2 ( 


18 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


farm, representing to a large extent his varied industry and capa- 
bilities. 

Mr. Kurtz, whose home is a mile and three-quarters southeast of 
Edgerton, was born in Milford Township, Defiance County, Ohio, 
March 24, 1871. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kurtz, were natives 
of Germany and were married in that country. His father was born 
in Wuertemberg, January 8, 1831. At the age of twenty-six he took 
his wife and son to Australia, and lived in that country for five years. 
Returning to Germany, they remained only a few months and in 1862 


emigrated to the United States and located in Defiance County. They — 


bought a farm three and a half miles south of Edgerton and Jacob 
Kurtz cleared up his land and improved it and remained a resident 
there until his death. They were reared as Lutherans, but in Ohio 
became Methodists. The mother died in 1879. 

William M. Kurtz was one of eight children and grew up on the 
home farm near Edgerton, attended district schools, and was a factor 
in the parental establishment until he married and established a home 
of his own. 

January 23, 1898, he married Martha M. Fisher, who was born in 
Center Township of Williams County, February 3, 1878, daughter 
of Michael and Mary (Laufer) Fisher. Her father was born April 
12, 1830, was brought to the United States from Germany in 1840 
and the family were pioneers in Williams County. In the Fisher 
family were fourteen children named Jacob, George M., Mary E., 
Anna M., John Z., Caroline, Henry E., Frederick, David, William M., 
Albert C., Charles F., Martha and Victoria C. Mrs. Kurtz was reared 
on a farm and acquired a district school education. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz rented the farm where 
they now live, and in 1902, as a result of their joint thrift and energies 
were able to buy the land. They now have a valuable place of 120 
acres, and their improvements are of the best. Mr. Kurtz has operated 
a threshing oufit for twenty-eight years, and is one of the oldest men 
in that business and as such is widely known. He is a democrat in 
"politics, a member of the Farm Bureau, is affiliated with the Knights 
of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Mrs. 
Kurtz is a member of the Pythian Sisters. 

They have two children: Arvilla A., born March 4, 1904, now 
attending high school; and J. W. Russell Kurtz, born January 3, 1914. 
The family are members of the Presbyterian Church and Mr. Kurtz is 
one of its trustees. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 19 


Wes.ey CASEBERE.—Owning a farm of ninety-four acres, Wesley 
Casebere, of Edgerton, Williams County, is still actively engaged in 
work upon which the health, wealth and general prosperity of our 
nation is largely dependent. A son of William Casebere, he was born,. 
July 12, 1848, in Troy Township, Dekalb County, Indiana. 

In 1790 two brothers named Casebere emigrated from Germany 
to the United States, one of them settling in Pennsylvania. A descend- 
ant of that Casebere, one John Casebere, married, and in 1814 located 
in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, at Canal Dover, and from his nine chil- 
dren all of the Ohio Caseberes are descended. The eldest son, also 
named John Casebere, was born in Pennsylvania, October 24, 1798, 
and in 1814 came with his parents to Canal Dover, Ohio. In 1821 he 
married Nancy Smiley, a daughter of George Smiley, and in 1839, 
having entered land in both Ohio and Indiana, moved to Troy Town- 
ship, Dekalb County, Indiana, where he resided until his death, 
September 2, 1881. He had previously learned the blacksmith’s trade, 
and specialized in the making of cow bells. In 1841 he erected a 
second cabin, and in that cabin the first school opened in that district 
was taught, ten out of its sixteen pupils having been Caseberes. His. 
wife died May 4, 1870, several years before he did. 

One of a family of twelve children, William Casebere went with 
his parents to Troy Township, Indiana, from Canal Dover, Ohio, 
and assisted his father as well as a boy could in clearing and improv- 
ing a homestead. He began life for himself as a farmer in that town- 
ship, but finally removed to Canada, where he spent the later years 
of his life. He married Harriet Moore, who was also of pioneer 
stock, and on the farm which he owned and occupied his children were 
reared. 

Brought up and educated in his native township, Wesley Casebere 
began life for himself as a youth, and for eight years worked as a 
farm laborer for Daniel Farnham, a prominent agriculturist of St. 
Joseph Township, Williams County. Industrious and enterprising, 
he wisely saved his money, and after his marriage bought his present 
farm, and in its improvement has taken great pleasure, his work 
having also proved quite remunerative. 

Mr. Casebere married Mrs. Medora (Williams) Geiger, who was. 
born in Licking County, Ohio, in 1847, and came with her parents 
to Williams County, Ohio, in 1856. She received excellent educa- 
tional advantages, attending the public schools and the Newville 
Academy, after which she taught school a few terms. She married 
Jacob Geiger, who died in early life, leaving her with one daughter, 


20 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Alberta Geiger, who became the wife of W. D. Bratten, of St. Joseph 
Township. Mr. and Mrs. Casebere have one child, E. E. Casebere, of 
St. Joseph Township, who married Clara Watson, and has one son. 
Mr. Casebere is a republican in politics. His son, E. E. Casebere, 
is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and both he 
and his wife belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. 


FRANK C. FLICKINGER—One of the best known citizens of Wil- 
liams County, a former county commissioner, F. C. Flickinger has 
always shown a serious sense of responsibility both to himself and his—— 
fellow men, and his material accumulations would offset in only a 
small measure his large and varied service. 

Mr. Flickinger was born in Wayne County, Ohio, October 12, 
1874, a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Weidrich) Flickinger, the former 
a native of Wayne County and the latter of Allen County, Indiana. 
Both parents were active members of the United Brethren Church. 
Daniel Flickinger was a democrat, interested in political affairs, and 
at one time was roadmaster in Northwest Township of Williams 
County. He died August 14, 1914, and his widow is still living in 
Northwest Township. They had two sons, F. C. and Herman, the 
latter a farmer on the old homestead. 

F. C. Flickinger was seven years of age when his parents moved 
to Williams County and here he acquired a public school education, 
supplemented with a teacher’s course at the Tri-State College at 
Angola, Indiana. He received his degree Bachelor of Pedagogy. 
Mr. Flickinger has devoted his entire adult life to the profession of 
teaching, and almost altogether in Northwest Township. While it 
could not be said that he has gained wealth from a profession that 
is notoriously underpaid, he has contrived to manage his affairs in 
the intervals of school work in such a manner as to achieve the own- 
ership of a good farm, consisting of 150 acres, and is known as a 
successful breeder of Duroc hogs and white Leghorn chickens. He 
has always been active in democratic politics, served eight years as 
township clerk of Northwest Township, and for two years was a 
valued member of the County Board of Commissioners. He is also a 
member of the Township Board of Education. 

March 15, 1899, Mr. Flickinger married Nettie Ricketts. They 
have four children: Zola and Cleon, both graduates of the Mont- 
pelier High School; Gaython, who has completed the common school 
work, and Gladys attending the grade school. The family are mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church and Mr. Flickinger is a past master 
of the Grange. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 21 


Davip J. Metrter.—While his youth was one of struggle and lack 
of advantages, David J. Mettler has found his way to a comfortable 
success, and for a number of years has been one of the influential 
and successful farmers of Williams County. His place is known as 
the Hickory Grove Farm, comprising 120 acres located a half mile 
west of Cooney, and he also had forty acres a half mile east of that 
town, which he sold to his son. 

: Mr. Mettler was born at Union Corners, then known as the Adair 
Farms, on September 9, 1862, son of William and Miriam (Adair) 
Mettler. 

His maternal grandfather, William Adair, was one of the notable 
pioneers of Williams County, settling in this densely wooded section 
in 1848. He bought four parcels of land each containing eighty acres, 
at what is now Union Corners. Later he lived in the west part of 
the township and he died in Steuben, Indiana. 

William Mettler and his wife Miriam were both natives of Mor- 
row County, Ohio, where he was born August 19, 1834, and she on 
July 20, 1836. William Mettler was killed when thrown from a horse 
December 11, 1862, about three months after the birth of his son 
David. He had three children: Melvin C., now of Coldwater, Mich- 
igan; David J. and Marcelina D., wife of H. S. Ely, of Montpelier. 
The widowed mother did a noble part by her small children after the 
death of her husband and managed to keep them together. She 
worked out for about twelve years in order to support them. Later 
she became the wife of J. B. Neer, but had no children by that union. 

David J. Mettler lived for three years with his uncle John 
McCannch, and after that with his aunt, Mrs. Ferguson, until her 
death in 1874. Much of his boyhood was spent among strangers, and 
while he managed to attend the district schools he expended much of 
his youthful strength working out by the month and by the day. 

On January 1, 1885, Mr. Mettler married Miss Wilda Moss, a 
native of Allen County, Indiana, where she lived to the age of twelve 
when her parents removed to Columbia, Ohio. 

After his marriage Mr. Mettler rented a farm for four years and 
then established a modern stock of general merchandise at Cooney 
and subsequently was in business as a merchant at Columbia until 
about 1907. He then sold out and invested his modest capital in the 
farm where he now lives. This is a valuable property, and represents 
his accumulations above that needed for the support and rearing of 
his family. Mr. Mettler had the misfortune to lose his good wife 
on February 12, 1918. They were the parents of four children: Win- 


22 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


fred, a farmer in Northwest Township; Harley, who is a graduate of 


the Fort Wayne Business College and is also a farmer in Williams 
County; Dale of Northwest Township; and Waity, wife of Charles 
Lash. 

Mr. Mettler is a democrat in politics and for four terms, eight 
years, served as treasurer of Northwest Township. He also took the 
census in 1920. For several years until he resigned he was a member 
of the County Central Committee representing Northwest Township. 


He is also actively identified with the various farmers’ organizations, - 


and lends his support to every movement for the benefit of his com- 
munity. 


Grant S. Kinticu.—Steadily through a period of over thirty 
years Grant S. Kintigh has been a sustaining factor in the agricultural 
activities of Northwest Township, has achieved the success represented 
in the ownership of a good farm, and has played a worthy part in 
local citizenship. 

Mr. Kintigh, whose farm home is a mile east and a half mile south 
of Cooney, was born in Northwest Township September 16, 1868, 
son of William and Susanna (Shaffer) Kintigh, the former a native 
of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. The parents were married in 
Williams County and first lived on a farm in Springfield Township, 
but for many years were honored residents of Northwest Township 
where both of them died. They were members of the United Brethren 
Church and the father served as superintendent of its Sunday School. 
A republican in politics, he was honored with the office of justice of 
the peace. In a family of nine children, one died in infancy and six 
are still alive: William C., of Camden, Michigan; Mary, wife of Joe 
Murray of Bryan, Ohio; Howard of Camden; John of Pioneer, Ohio; 
Elmer, whose home is in Kansas, and Grant S. 

Grant S. Kintigh grew up in his native township, and acquired 
a very thorough education, beginning in the district schools and finish- 
ing with courses in Hillsdale College and in the Tri-State College at 
Angola, Indiana. For about five years he devoted his talents and 
time to educational work, and since then has followed farming with 
good results. His farm comprises 120 acres, and he has also worked 
with his fellow farmers in improving marketing and other conditions. 
He is a member of the Farmers’ Co-operative Association at Mont- 
gomery, Michigan. 

In 1893 Mr. Kintigh married Miss Jennie Houtz, who was born 
in Camden, Michigan, and was also a teacher before her marriage. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 23 


They have two talented children: Ruth is a graduate of the Hillsdale 
High School, attended the Michigan Agricultural College at Lansing, 
and has a record as a teacher. Paul is a graduate of the Hillsdale 
High School, taught school one year and is now a student in Ferris 
Institute at Big Rapids, Michigan. / 

The family are members of the Presbyterian Church and of the 
Grange. Mr. Kintigh is identified with the republican party and for 
four years served as township clerk. 


Franxkiin Knecut, who lives five miles northwest of Montpelier 
in Florence Township was ten years old when his parents came to 
Williams County. He was born July 9, 1855, in Crawford County. 
‘He is a son of John G. and Mary (Fouser) Knecht, the parents both 
born and brought up in Germany. They were married and three of 
their children were born in Germany. The father was a farmer in 
Germany. In 1845 they emigrated to the United States and settled 
in Crawford County. It was twenty years later that they removed 
to Williams County. They bought eighty acres of land in Superior 
Township and ended their days on it. 

The Knechts were members of the German Lutheran Church and 
thirteen children were born to them, although A. D. 1920, only six 
of them are among the living: Gottlieb, Catharine, Sofia, Lewis, 
Franklin and William. They all had common school advantages, 
and Franklin who relates the family history remained at home until 
he was twenty-one years old when he married Barbara Knoblich who 
was born in Florence Township and had always lived in Williams 
County. Their children are: William D., with the Wabash Railroad 
and living in Montpelier ; Harvey, of Florence Township, and Iva, the 
wife of Charles Custer. 

The Knechts of this generation are members of the United Breth- 
ren Church, and Franklin Knecht is Sunday school superintendent. 
Mr. Knecht is a democrat and for four years he was the assessor 
in Florence Township. He was a member of the local. school board 
for five years. He is a member of the Edon Farmers’ Co-operative 
Association, and is interested in all farm organizations looking to the 
welfare of the rural community. Besides being a farmer Mr. Knecht 
is a-carpenter and contractor, and in addition to making all the 
improvements on his own farm he has built many houses and barns 
for others. He operated a sawmill on the farm when there was 
more timber in Williams County. 


24 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Witt1am Henry SHinn.—In the largest and best sense of the 
term, William H. Shinn is distinctively one of the representative men 
of his day in Williams County, and as such his life record is entitled 
to a distinctive place in the annals of his county. As a citizen he is 
public-spirited and enterprising to an unwonted degree; as a friend 
and neighbor, he combines the qualities of head and heart that win 
confidence and command respect; as a legislator, he exhibited ele- 
ments of statesmanship which won for him not only the esteem of his 
colleagues, but also the commendation of his constituents, while as 


an attorney, possessing a comprehensive grasp of the philosophy of 


jurisprudence, he occupies an enviable position at the bar of his 
county. He realized early that there is a purpose in life and that 
there is no honor not founded on worth and no respect not founded 
on accomplishment. Because of this he has won for himself a place 
of prominence and honor as one of the world’s honored army of 
workers, his life and labors being worthy because they have contrib- 
uted to a proper understanding of life and its problems. 

William Henry Shinn was born in Northwest Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, on March 19, 1867, son of Aaron and Henrietta C. 
(Speaker) Shinn. He is descended from sterling old Colonial stock, 
the Shinn family dating its beginning in America back to a time prior 
to the coming of William Penn, when John Shinn, a Quaker and a 
native of England, left his native land in order that he might enjoy, 
freedom of religious belief and practice. It is an essential truth that 
the final causes which shape the fortunes of individual men and the 
destinies of states are often the same, and when they inspire men to 
the exercise of courage, self-denial, enterprise, and call into play the 
higher moral elements; lead men to risk all upon conviction, faith— 
such causes lead to the planting of great nations and great peoples. 
Thus it was with those hardy people who, for the sake of their con- 
sciences, courageously came to a new and practically unknown world, 
braving all for the sake of posterity, and we today are enjoying the 
fruits of their sacrifices and courage. John Shinn settled in Burling- 
ton County, New Jersey, where he established a home and reared a 
family, and there the family has been continuously represented to the 
present day. All of the name in America are said to be direct descend- 
ants of the brave pioneer, John Shinn. In Burlington County, Aaron 
Shinn, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1803. In 
early manhood he came to Ohio, eventually locating in Williams 
County, where he followed his trade, that of blacksmith, establishing 
the first shop of that kind in Northwest Township. Here he met 


PinOky OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 25 


and married Henrietta C. Speaker, a native of Columbiana County, 
Ohio, and here his death occurred on January 16, 1867, at the age 
of sixty-four years, about two months before the birth of his son, 
the subject of this review. 

William H. Shinn received his early educational training in the dis- 
trict schools, where his attendance was necessarily more or less irreg- 
ular. During the summer months he hired out for work on neighbor- 
ing farms, while during the winter he did chores for his board in 
the neighborhood of the school which he attended. In January, 1883, 
when not quite sixteen years old, he went to Montpelier and became 
an apprentice at the printing trade in the office of the Montpelier Enter- 
prise. He was ambitious and while working at his trade he applied 
himself assiduously to his books, so that at the end of two years 
he was able to pass an examination and secured a certificate to teach 
school. He taught in Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan, and at the age 
of twenty years he became the editor of the Montpelier Democrat, 
occupying that position about eighteen months. From 1890 until 
November, 1893, he was the publisher of the Democrat at Newaygo, 
Michigan, and during his brief residence there he quickly gained 
public appreciation, filling several local offices, among them being 
school inspector, deputy county clerk, village clerk, justice of the 
peace and township clerk. In June, 1894, Mr. Shinn removed to 
La Grange, Indiana, and purchased the La Grange Democrat, which 
he published until February, 1896. In the spring of the following 
year he entered the employ of a publishing house as a writer, main- 
taining this relation until 1912, during which period he resided in 
Indiana. While residing there, in 1900, he became the democratic 
nominee for state senator, but was defeated at the ensuing election. 

In August, 1912, Mr. Shinn returned to Williams County and pur- 
chased the Montpelier Enterprise, the office in which he had originally 
learned the printing trade, and he conducted this paper with marked 
success until September, 1916. In November, 1913, he was elected 
mayor of Montpelier, and two years later was re-elected to succeed 
himself, holding the office until January 1, 1917, when he resigned 
that office in order to take his seat in the Legislature, to which he had 
been chosen. At the primary election of 1914 the democrats of Wil- 
liams County chose him as their candidate for representative from 
this county, but he was defeated at the November election. In 1916 
he was again nominated, without opposition, and at the election he 
was successful, receiving a plurality of 102 votes over his opponent, 
the Hon. Frank M. Money, who had been the successful candidate 
two years before. 


26 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 

As a member of the Legislature, Mr. Shinn took a prominent 
and leading part in securing the passage of a number of important 
bills. Upon the organization of the House, he was made chairman 
of the committee on Constitutional Amendments and the Initiative 
and Referendum, and was given membership on the following com- 
mittees: Cities, Fees and Salaries, Liquor Traffic and Temperance, 
Privileges and Elections and Taxation and Revenues. He introduced 
the Anti-Spotters railroad bill and the Injunction and Abatement 
(anti-vice) bills, both of which were enacted into laws. He was also 
the author and secured the adoption of the resolution submitting to — 
the people an amendment to the State Constitution whereby the double 
taxation of real estate may be prevented. This amendment was sub- 
sequently ratified by the voters by a majority of more than’ 108,000 
and is now a part of the organic law of the state. Upon his retire- 
ment from the Legislature, Mr. Shinn opened a law office in Mont- 
pelier and has since been engaged in the practice of that profession, 
in which he is meeting with splendid success. 

On Christmas Day, 1891, Mr. Shinn was married to Zoe Thomas, 
at Montpelier, and they have a son, William Thomas, who was grad- 
uated from the Montpelier High School with the class of 1919, and 
is now a student in the Ohio State University at Columbus, preparing 
for the practice. of law. The beginning of Mr. Shinn’s career was 
characterized by hard work and conscientious endeavor, and he owes 
his rise to no train of fortunate incidents or fortuitous circumstances. 
It has been the reward of the application of mental qualifications of 
a high order to the affairs of business, combined with keen percep- 
tions and mental activity that enabled him to grasp the opportunities 
that have presented themselves. This he has done with success and, 
what is more important, with honor. Because of his success and his 
sterling qualities of character, he enjoys to a marked degree the confi- 
dence and good will of all who know him. 


Witt1am Fercer.—In insurance circles of Williams County there 
is no name better known than that of William Felger. While he has 
not been indifferent to the opportunities offered for advancement in 
other lines of endeavor, notably that of farming, Mr. Felger has been 
first, last and all the time an insurance man, and at the present time, 
in addition to being the representative at West Unity for a number of 
leading companies, is secretary of the Brady Township Fire Insurance 
Association. . 

Mr. Felger was born in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio, 
one mile north of West Unity, June 29, 1853, a son of Henry and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 27 


Susanna (Herman) Felger. The father was born in Westmoreland 
County, Pennsylvania, and as a young man went to Wayne County, 
Ohio, where he married a native of that county. In 1848 he went 
to California, where he remained about three years, during which 
time he saved $800 in gold, and, returning to Ohio with this sum, 
invested it in a tract of eighty acres of land in Brady Township, 
Williams County. There he continued to be engaged in agricultural 
pursuits during the active period of his life, but finally retired and 
moved to West Unity where he died two years later, his widow 
surviving him eight months. He was a democrat in politics, and he 
and Mrs. Felger were consistent members of the Reformed Church. 
They were the parents of six children: William; Conrad, a resident’ 
of San Diego, California; Frank, of Fayette, Fulton County, Ohio; 
Simon, a farmer of Mill Creek Township, Williams County; John, a 
resident of West Unity; and Sarah, the wife of David Laser, an 
agriculturist near Pioneer. 

William Felger was reared on the old home farm in Brady Town- 
ship, and in his boyhood and youth assisted his father in the work 
of the home property while securing his education in’ the public 
schools of West Unity and the Smithville (Ohio) Normal School. 
Later he took a course in the Wooster Business College, then starting 
to teach day school and penmanship, which he followed for several 
years. As an agriculturist he became the owner of ninety-five acres 
of land in Jefferson Township, in addition to which he possesses a 
fine home at West Unity. In young manhood Mr. Felger became 
interested in insurance matters and began as a local agent for several 
of the large companies. Meeting with gratifying success in this field, 
he increased the scope of his efforts and his patronage has constantly 
grown larger, until at the present time he is local representative for 
the Home Insurance Company of New York, the Fidelity Phoenix 
of New York, the Fidelity Casualty Company of New York, the 
Great American Indemnity Company of Mansfield, Ohio, the Ohio 
Windstorm Company of Columbus and the Cleveland National of 
Cleveland, Ohio. In January, 1907, Mr. Felger became secretary of 
the Brady Township Fire Insurance Company, a position which he 
has retained to the present time. The affairs of this institution are in 
a flourishing condition, and much of its prosperity is directly trace- 
able to Mr. Felger’s ability and industrious efforts. He is likewise 
a notary public and is largely interested in the handling of real estate. 
From 1885 to 1901 he was agent for various express companions at 
Orrville. A democrat in politics, Mr. Felger has taken an active part in 


28 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


local affairs, and has served one term each as township clerk of Brady 
Township and as mayor of West Unity, displaying capability along 
executive lines. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Superior Lodge, No. 
179, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Knights of the Maccabees, 
and he and Mrs. Felger are members of the Order of the Eastern Star, 
and of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Felger is a stockholder in the 
Farmers Commercial and Savings Bank. 

Mr. Felger married Sarah Billman, of Wayne County, Ohio, and 
they had three children: Edmund J., of Akron, Ohio; Charles H., 
of Hillsdale, Michigan; and Mabel V., a graduate nurse at the Toledo ~~ 
Hospital. Mrs. Felger died June 28, 1904, and Mr. Felger later 
married Ina L. Miller. They have had no children. 


Frep PLanson.—A fine representative of the enterprising and 
Prosperous agriculturists of Williams County, Fred Planson is actively 
engaged in his free and independent calling in Springfield Township, 
where his well improved and productive farm is located. A son of 
the late Peter Planson, he was born, April 29, 1883, on the farm 
adjoining the one he now owns and occupies. 

A native of Williams County, Ohio, Peter Planson was born in 
Lockport, Brady Township, where he acquired when young a thor- 
ough knowledge of the various branches of agriculture. Industrious 
and thrifty, he accumulated some money, and when ready to begin 
the battle of life on his own account bought 130 acres of land in his 
native township, but subsequently moved to Springfield Township, 
where he carried on general farming a number of years. When ready 
to give up active work, he removed to Stryker, and there spent the 
later years of his life. A stanch republican in politics, he took much 
interest in local affairs, and rendered acceptable services as trustee 
of Springfield Township. Religiously both he and his wife were mem- 
bers of the Baptist Church at Stryker. 

Peter Planson married Frances Recine, who was born in France, 
and as a girl came with her parents to Lockport, Ohio, where she 
was married. Of the nine children born of their union, eight were ° 
living in 1919, as follows: Herman, of Springfield Township ; Emiel ; 
Ida; Charles; George; Nora, wife of James Roux: Sylvia, and Fred. 

Obtaining a practical education in the district schools, Fred Planson 
began in boyhood to do the chores usually falling to the lot of a farm- 
er’s son, and, naturally following in the footsteps of his ancestors, 
chose farming for his life occupation. Settling on land adjoining his 
father’s, he has been very successful in his agricultural labors, his 


. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 29 


farm of seventy acres being under a good state of cultivation, yield- 
ing each year bountiful crops of the cereals common to this region. 
He is a steadfast republican in politics, and a valued member of the 
Baptist Church at Stryker, of which he is a trustee. 

Mr. Planson married, November 24, 1904, Alice E. Peugeot, who 
was born and educated in Brady Township, Ohio, and into the house- 
hold thus established four children have been born, namely: Ethel, 
born August 18, 1906; Emerson, born August 21, 1908; Charlotte, 
born July 28, 1914; and Lucille, whose birth occurred November 
14, 1917. 

\ 

WALTER S. ToMLInson, breeder of Holstein Friesians and a farmer 
upon an extensive scale, owns one of the best stock farms in Defiance 
County, which is located three-fourths of a mile southeast of Williams 
Center, Defiance County, Ohio. He was born at Bryan, Ohio, on 
June 16, 1843, a son of Giles Hawkins Tomlinson. 

The Tomlinson family is traced back to 1600, when George Tom- 
linson was married to Mariah Hyde in January of that year, at Saint 
Peter’s Church, England. Their son, Henry Tomlinson, born in Derby, 
England, came to the American Colonies in 1652, and died at Strat- 
ford, Connecticut, in 1681. Jonas Tomlinson, the son of Henry Tom- 
linson, married Alice Hannak and lived on Grant Hill, Derby, Con- 
necticut, where he died in 1693. 

Isaac Tomlinson, son of Jonas Tomlinson, was born in 1687, mar- 
ried Patience Taylor in March, 1712, and died in 1754. Their son, 
Noah, who was born in 1727, was married on July 2, 1747, to Abigail 
Beers, and lived and died at Derby, Connecticut. In 1749 Noah Tom- 
linson became the father of Daniel Tomlinson, and he served as an 
officer in the American Revolution. In 1774 he married Susanna 
Hotchkiss, and died near Marbledale, Connecticut. His son, Abijah 
Tomlinson, was born in 1780, and he married Betsey, a daughter of 
David and Ruth (Hawkins) Tomlinson, in 1805, and died at Marble- 
dale, Connecticut in 1862, aged eighty-two years. His wife died in 
1875, aged ninety-two years. To them were born the following chil- 
dren: Ruth, George, Giles Hawkins, Daniel, Charles, Eliza, Agnes 
and Nancy, Giles Hawkins surviving them all. 

In 1842 Giles H. Tomlinson was married to Eunice Ensign, a 
daughter of Oren and Nancy Ensign, and a sister of Oscar, Henry, 
Dwight, Frank and Elbridge Ensign, all of whom were at one time 
or another residents of Farmer Township. 


30 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson began their married life in a log house 
which was located just north of the Eaton property at Bryan, and in 
it their eldest son, Walter S., was born. Later removal was made 
to the old Carter building which stood on the present site of the 
Farmers National Bank. In 1848 Mr. Tomlinson moved his family 
to Williams Center, and there his wife died in 1854, and in 1856 he 
was married to Electa, a daughter of Lyman and Mary Anna (Baker) 
Hemenway. In addition to the sons, Walter S., Dwight, Oren and 
Frank Abijah, born of his first marriage, Mr. Tomlinson had by his 


second marriage the following children: Mrs. Ida Hoffman, who_ 


lives at Williams Center, Ohio; Mrs. Betsey Blanch Gardner, who 
lives at Bryan, Ohio; William, who lives at Lima, Ohio; Charles, 
who lives at Barlow, North Dakota; and Irwin, who remained with 
his parents on the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson celebrated their 
Golden Wedding anniversary on April 28, 1906. 

Giles H. Tomlinson was a highly educated men, and for a time 
was a teacher of mathematics, and among his pupils were the Good- 
rich brothers who later attained to a world-wide celebrity as manu- 
facturers of rubber goods. He was a merchant in the village of 
Marbledale, Connecticut, for a time, but came to Ohio, and while at 
Columbus, became acquainted with the Mr. Bryan for whom Bryan 
is named, and was induced to come to Bryan to superintend the con- 
struction of the courthouse. Owing to the failure of Mr. Bryan, Mr. 
Tomlinson was involved in a long and costly lawsuit which left him 
but little means, but he settled at Williams Center and established 
himself in a small way as a merchant. From that beginning his busi- 
ness interests multiplied and expanded until at one time he was one 
of the wealthiest men in Williams County. 

With the outbreak of the war between the states he was far- 
sighted enough to see that the demand for foodstuffs would be greatly 
increased, and he went into the beef and pork packing business, and 
secured army contracts. While he lost on these contracts, he built up 
a business of large proportions. 

For over forty years Mr. Tomlinson was a member of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church at Williams Center, and when the church edifice 
was in process of construction he contributed every seventh dollar 
until the necessary amount was raised. Every legitimate interest of 
his community received his hearty support and he was in the best and 
broadest sense of the word public spirited. His death occurred at 
Williams Center, Ohio, on July 23, 1906, and his funeral services 
were held in the church his benefactions had helped to build. His 
widow survived him. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 31 


Walter S. Tomlinson was reared at Williams Center and attended 
its schools and academy. After completing his studies he taught 
school for fifteen terms, but in 1899 began to turn his attention to 
agricultural matters. He had 225 acres of land and set out to operate 
it just as a banker would conduct his financial interests, systematically 
and expertly. His farm now comprises 700 acres and it is equipped 
with as fine buildings and machinery for the several purposes for 
which they are required as can be found in the state. He has operated 
his land so as to pay him a fair dividend each year on his investment, 
and feels certain that anyone who went about the matter as he has 
done could accomplish the same results. He values his farm and 
improvements at $100,000. His herd sires are Ona Clothilde DeKol 
Pontiac Hartog No. 189146 and Royalton Ormsby Second No. 186457, 
and he has about sixty-five in his herd of registered Holsteins at 
present. Mr. Tomlinson has been a valued contributor and editor of 
the Ohio Farmer, and is a writer of authority on hogs, sheep and 
dairy cattle. 

Mr. Tomlinson was married to Emily Lane of Williams County, 
Ohio, and they had two children, namely: Eva, who is the wife of 
Prof. W. H. Bender of Des Moines, Iowa, a graduate of the Ohio 
State University, is now occupying the chair of agriculture in the 
Iowa State University, his duties taking him all over the state to the 
different high schools where he gives special instruction on agricul- 
ture to the pupils; and Orla L., who is deceased. Professor and 
Mrs. Bender have four children, namely: Walter D., who is an exten- 
sive farmer of Washington Township, Defiance County, Ohio; Marian, 
who is the wife of Myron Lankworthy, is a teacher in the Bryan 
High School; Roger T., who is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa; and 
Eunice, who is attending the Iowa State University. The first Mrs. 
Tomlinson died on December 10, 1905. In 1908 Mr. Tomlinson was 
married to Loretta Coy, widow of Albert Coy, who was born in Mel- 
ford Township, Defiance County, Ohio, on January 24, 1853. She 
was educated in the Bryan High School and taught school for two 
terms prior to her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson are members 
of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is an elder. Well known 
in Masonry, Mr. Tomlinson belongs to Bryan Lodge No. 215, Free and 
Accepted Masons, and is also a Chapter Mason, and he and his wife 
belong to the local chapter of the Eastern Star. In politics Mr. Tom- 
linson is a republican. 

During the war between the North and the South Mr. Tomlinson 
served in the Union army as a member of Company A, Thirty-eighth 


32 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNDY 


Ohio Volunteer Infantry, enlisting on August 26, 1861, and he 
remained in the service until the close of the war. He belongs to 
Evans Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at present, but formerly 
belonged to Lew Bowker Post No. 725, Grand Army of the Republic, 
at Farmer Center, and served it as commander. Without any question 
Mr. Tomlinson is the leading breeder of Holstein cattle in this part 
of the state and has been largely instrumental, through his own efforts 
and results and his writings, in awakening and maintaining an interest 
in registered cattle of this strain, which has brought about a most 


remarkable improvement in the herds and increased the prestige of _ 


this locality for dairy production. 


GrorcE W. Custar of Florence Township, three miles northeast 
from Edon, was born October 12, 1859, in Superior Township. He 
is a son of John and Lydia (Tumbleson) Custer. They were natives 
of Columbiana County and after their marriage they came to Williams 
County, locating on a farm four miles southwest from Montpelier. 
They were members of the United Brethren Church and being a good 
singer Mr. Custar was very active in affairs of the church and com- 
munity. He always served the church in some official capacity, and 
since there were thirteen children the Custar family helped to increase 
the church attendance. Those living are: Jacob, Martin, core 
Edgar, John, Samuel, B. E., Amanda and Amelia. 

George W. Custar was toad on the farm in Superior Township 
and educated in the common school, remaining at home with his par- 
ents until he was twenty-one years old. On July 4, 1883, Mr. Custar 
married Lillie McCamis, a daughter of John and Louisa (Hare) 
McCamis, the father born in Morrow County and the mother in 
London, England. She was a young woman eighteen years old when 
her parents came to the United States and settled in Williams County. 
They settled on the farm where Mr. Custar now lives and they were 
members of the Christian Union Church in the community. 

Mr. and Mrs. Custar have two children: Pearl M., born April 
15, 1886, is the wife of S. D. Lovejoy of Superior Township. Their 
children are: Paul F., Roger M., Lyle L. and Doyle D. Lovejoy. 
John J. Custer, born October 2, 1889, married Jennie Shaull, and 
they have one child, Fern P. Custar. As in the older generation 
of the family, G. W. Custar is active in the United Brethren Church, 
and for four years he has been Sunday school superintendent. His 
vote is cast with the republican party. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 33 


Levi Mitter.—The name of Miller is associated with some of the 
progressive farming done in Williams County, and one of the expert 
agriculturists bearing it is Levi Miller, who owns his fine farm of 
282 acres, which is located five miles north and three miles west of 
Montpelier. He was born on the farm he now occupies on April 29, 
1857, a son of John H. and Elsa (Gardner) Miller. John Miller was 
born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, in 1831, and his wife was 
born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1833. While still a boy he was 
brought to Wayne County, Ohio, where he was reared, and he was 
married in Richland County, Ohio. In the fall of 1855 he came to 
Williams County and located on the farm in Bridgewater Township 
which remained the homestead, and there he died on December 9, 
1876, his wife having died there in February, 1873. They were very . 
active members of the Church of God. In politics Mr.gMiller was a 
democrat. He and his wife became the parents of the following 
children: Silas, who is a carpenter and contractor of Montpelier, 
Ohio; Levi, whose name heads this review; Wilda, who is the wife 
of George Canfield, lives in Bridgewater Township; Louisa, who is 
deceased, married M. J. Kurtz; John, who is also deceased, mar- 
ried Laura Champion; Elsie, who married John Jackson; and Grace, 
who married Reynold Koch, of Denver, Colorado. 

Levi Miller has spent his entire life in Bridgewater Township. 
When he was seventgen years old he lost his parents, and he left off 
attendance at the log schoolhouse in the neighborhood and began work- 
ing by the month. After four years he left the farm work and was 
employed in other lines. He was very industrious and saving and by 
the time he was thirty-two years old he was able to buy his father’s 
homestead from the other heirs, and later added 122 acres. Here he 
has been engaged in farming ever since and has a fine property. 

On December 25, 1888, Mr. Miller was married to Eva C. Hunter, 
who was born in Northwest Township on September 12, 1859, a 
daughter of Edwin and Margaret (Kunsman) Hunter, natives of 
Erie, Pennsylvania, and Seneca County, Ohio, respectively, who were 
married in Northwest Township, Williams County, Ohio, in 1854. 
Mr. Hunter was killed by a kick from a horse in 1871, but his widow 
survived him and still lives in Northwest Township. Mrs. Miller was 
educated in the common schools of her native township. Mr. and 
Mrs. Miller became the parents of four children, namely: Mary B., 
who is the wife of George Messner, lives in Northwest Township; 
Ralph, who married Sarah A. Owen; Clarence E., who is unmarried, 
lives at home; and Flava, who is at home. Mrs. Miller belongs to 


Vol. II—3 


34 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


the Presbyterian Church, but Mr. Miller is not connected with any 
religious organization. He is a democrat and belongs to the Farm 
Bureau at Montpelier. In addition to his agricultural interests, Mr. 
Miller is a director of the Montpelier National Bank. All that he 
owns today Mr. Miller has made himself and deserves great credit 
for this, as many left as he was would not have had the courage and 
initiative to forge ahead and accomplish so much. 


Davip SuaFFer.—One of the careful agriculturists and respected 
citizens of Pulaski Township, Williams County, is David Shaffer, a 
man whose history furnishes a splendid example of what may be 
accomplished through determined purpose, laudable ambition and well- 
directed efforts. Starting in life at the bottom of the ladder, he has 
steadily worked his way upward, winning success in his chosen field 
of endeavor and gaining the public confidence, which he has retained 
through careful “hewing to the line” in all the relations which’he 
has sustained with his fellow men. 

David Shaffer was born on October 30, 1861, on the farm which 
he now owns and operates, and he is the son of David, Sr., and Mary 
A. (Smith) Shaffer. These parents were born in Maryland, and 
were reared and married in that state, living there for a time after 
their union. They came to Crawford County, Ohio, and, sometime 
later, located in Williams County, where they spent the remainder 
of their lives, engaged in farming pursuits. They became the parents 
of eight children, of which number six are now living, namely: 
Michael P., of West Unity, this county; Silas, of Pulaski Township; 
Mary, the wife of Henry Updyke, of West Unity; David, the subject 
of this review; Charles, of Bryan, and Cora, the wife of Henry Fifer, 
of Toledo, Ohio. David Shaffer, Sr., was a democrat in his political 
views and was a member of the Reformed Church. 

David Shaffer, Jr., remained during his youth on the home farm 
and attended the district school. When about twenty-five years of 
age, he started out on his own account and has been successful in his 
efforts. With no one to materially assist him, he has gradually forged 
ahead during the years and is now the owner of 284 acres of splendid 
farming land, all of which he has acquired through his persevering 
labors, and this land he is cultivating with good judgment and excel- 
lent discrimination, so that he is enabled to realize good returns for 
his labor. In addition to general farming, he also gives some atten- 
tion to the raising of live stock, in which also prosperity has attended 
his efforts. Besides his farming interests, Mr. Shaffer also owns 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 35 


an interest in the Farmers Grain Elevator at Pulaski. He is public 
spirited and gives his support to every measure which promises to 
advance the material, civic or moral interests of his community. 

_Mr. Shaffer was married to Dana Rosendaul, a native of Pulaski 
Township, and they are the parents of two sons, Dale V., a traveling 
salesman, who married Ethel Faulk and lives at Akron, Ohio, and 
Fay, who is farming in Pulaski Township. 

Mr. Shaffer is a stanch supporter of the republican party. Genial 
and unassuming in his manner, nevertheless he possesses to a marked 
degree those qualities of mind and character which have gained for 
him the confidence and good will of all who know him. 


Joun S. Incram.—On the first of September, 1919, John Sherman 
Ingram entered upon the discharge of his official duties as county 
recorder of Williams County, his election to this responsible post 
having taken place on the fifth of November of the preceding year, 
and the majority which he received in this election having emphatically 
attested to the high esteem in which he is held in his native county. 

Mr. Ingram was born on his father’s farm, in Florence Township, 
near the village of Edon, this county, and the date of his nativity 
was February 6, 1865. He is a son of James and Mary (Sheridan) 
Ingram, the former a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and the 
latter of the State of Pennsylvania. James Ingram was five years 
old at the time of the family immigration to the United States, and 
after remaining for a brief time in Wayne County, Ohio, his parents 
came to Williams County, where his father engaged in farming and 
where both parents passed the remainder of their lives. James 
Ingram received his youthful education in the schools of this county 
and after his marriage he settled on a farm in Florence Township, 
where he long continued as a successful exponent of agricultural 
industry in the county and where he died when about seventy years of 
age, his wife also having passed away when seventy years of age. 
He was a republican in politics and was affiliated with the Masonic 
fraternity. Of the five children three are living in 1920: James W., 
of Montpelier, this county; Harriet M., the wife of William Eddy, 
of Eaton Rapids, Michigan; and John S., of this review. 

On the old farm of his father, in Florence Township, John S. 
Ingram early gained a full quota of practical experience in connection 
with productive industry, and in the public schools he received his 
youthful education He continued to be associated in the work and 
management of the home farm until he had attained to his legal major- 


36 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ity, when he entered upon an apprenticeship to the trade of telegra- 
pher. He became a skilled operator, and as such was employed for 
varying intervals at different stations on the line of the Wabash Rail- 
road. He continued his active service as a telegrapher until 1912, 
when he engaged in the restaurant business at Edon, one of the attrac- 
tive villages of his native county. There he continued in this line of 
enterprise until his election to the office of county recorder, as noted 
in the opening paragraph of this sketch. He and his wife still main- 
tain membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Edon, though 
his official duties involved his establishing his home at Bryan, the 
county seat. At Edon Mr. Ingram is affiliated with the lodge of the 
Knights of Pythias, of which he is past chancellor, and in politics 
he is a stalwart in the local ranks of the republican party. 

November 21, 1890, recorded the marriage of Mr. Ingram to Miss 
Laura A. Gonser, and of their five children four are living: Ethel, 
who was graduated in the high school at Edon, is the wife of Monte 
Dewier; Leona, likewise a graduate of the Edon High School, is a 
talented musician, a former director of an orchestra in the City of 
Lexington, Kentucky, and now directing an orchestra in Richmond, 
Virginia; Adaline is a teacher, and Isabelle, a high school student. 


Grorce J. WisE.—It is by no means an easy task to describe 
within the limits of this review a man who has led an active life and 
by his own exertions reached a position of honor and success in the 
vocation to which he has applied his energies. But biography finds 
justification, nevertheless, in tracing and recording such a life, as 
the public claims a certain property interest in the career of every 
individual and the time invariably arrives when it becomes advisable 
to give the right publicity. It is then with a certain degree of satis- 
faction that the chronicler essays the task of touching briefly upon 
such a record as has been that of George J. Wise, a farmer of high 
‘standing and influence in Pulaski Township. 

George J. Wise, whose fine farm is located on the Napoleon road 
in Pulaski Township, about four miles east of Bryan, was born in 
Seneca, Ohio, on the seventh day of October, 1856, and is the son of 
Charles and Christina (Karier) Wise. Charles Wise was born in 
Germany, whence he came to the United States in 1848, landing at 
New York City. He first made location in Crawford County, Ohio, 
where he bought a home and lived for a time, but eventually they 
came to Williams County, locating east of Bryan, in Pulaski Town- 
‘ship. He applied himself to farming pursuits there until 1870, when 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 37, 


he moved to Bryan and there spent the rest of his days. He was a 
minister of the United Brethren Church and a republican in his polit- 
ical views. He became the father of three children, all of whom are 
dead but the subject. 

George J. Wise was a boy of thirteen years when the family came 
to Williams County and he secured his educational training in the 
common schools of Pulaski Township. He has devoted his entire 
life to agricultural pursuits, in which he has met with a gratifying 
degree of success, owing to his persistent industry and his practical 
intelligence in the direction of his affairs. He is the owner of sixty 
acres of well improved land, which is maintained at a high state of 
cultivation, and the general appearance of the place indicates the 
owner to be a man of good judgment and excellent taste. In addi- 
tion to the cultivation of the land, Mr. Wise has also met with con- 
siderable success in the raising of live stock. 

In 1881 Mr. Wise was married to Ella Baker, who was born in 
Richland County, Ohio, and to them were born three children, namely : 
Vergie, the wife of Earl Newcomer, of Pulaski Township; Nell E., 
the wife of Guy Schaeffer, and Oliver C., who is referred to in a 
later paragraph. 

Politically, Mr. Wise has always given his support to the repub- 
lican party, and has consistently thrown his influence in favor of every 
movement having for its object the betterment of the community 
along any legitimate line. He has played a noticeable role in the 
general progress of the locality in which he lives and can look back 
over a career well spent and know that he has the good will and 
hearty esteem of all who have come into contact with him. 

Oliver C. Wise enlisted on May 29, 1918, in the United States 
service, and on August 24th was assigned to the quartermaster’s depart- 
ment at Camp Johnson, Florida. On September 10th he was trans- 
ferred to Motor Truck Company No. 506, of Motor Supply Train 
No. 422. He left Camp Johnson for Camp Upton, New York, on 
September 16th, and on the following day he left Camp Upton for 
embarkation. He landed at Glasgow, Scotland, on September 29th, 
went to Ronssey, England, on the following day, arrived at South- 
ampton on October 1st and at La Havre, France, on October 2d. He 
arrived at LeMans on October 6th and at Nantes on October 11th. 
- From that time on he saw service of various kinds at different places 
in France, locating at St. Nazaire on January 10, 1919. Returning 
home on July 30, 1919, he received an honorable discharge, with the 
rank of corporal. 


38 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


CLIFFORD CLEMENS, the present efficient deputy sheriff of Williams 
County and former city marshal of Bryan, the judicial center of this 
county, claims the county as the place of his nativity and is a repre- 
sentative of one of its old and highly esteemed families. He was born 
in the little Village of Williams Center, on May 30, 1868, and is a son 
of Ephriam and Mary (Lane) Clemens, both natives of Crawford 
County, this state, and both young folk at the time of the removal of 
the respective families to Williams County, Mrs. Clemens having been 
eight years old when her parents came to this county. Ephriam 
Clemens gained his rudimentary ‘education in Crawford County and _ 
was alad of fourteen years when his parents came to Williams County 
and established their home on a farm near Bryan. He was a carpenter 
in this county, where both he and his wife continued to reside until 
their death and where both were earnest members of the United 
Brethren Church at Williams Center. Mr. Clemens was one of the 
loyal young men who represented this county as a gallant soldier of 
the Union in the Civil war, and in later years he vitalized the more 
gracious associations of his military career by maintaining active 
affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic, his political allegiance 
having been given to the republican party. Of the three surviving 
children the subject of this sketch is the youngest; Stella is the wife 
of William Imes, and Nora is the wife of Charles Brown. 

The childhood and early youth of Clifford Clements were marked 
by the associations of the home farm, and his early educational dis- 
cipline was received in the public schools of Williams Center. At the 
age of eighteen years he learned the barber’s trade at Bryan, and 
thereafter he conducted a barber shop at Lima, Allen County, for 
twenty years. In 1904 he returned to Bryan and here engaged in the 
work of his trade, in which he continued until his election to the office 
of city marshal, in which he served four years, his original election 
having occurred in 1913 and his re-election in 1915, having given him 
the largest majority ever received by any candidate for municipal 
office at Bryan. He finally resigned the office of marshal and there- 
after he served as probation officer at Bryan until June 11, 1919, when 
he resigned, to accept oppointment to his present position, that of 
deputy sheriff. Mr. Clemens is a staunch supporter of the principles 
of the republican party, is affiliated with Bryan Lodge, No. 221, 
Knights of Pythias, and both he and his wife are members of the 
Pythian Sisters, in which Mrs. Clemens has not only passed the official 
chairs of the local organization but also served a number of terms as 
district deputy. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 39 


In 1893, while a resident of Lima, Mr. Clemens was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Lillie May Smith, who was born and reared in Allen 
County. They have no children. Mrs. Clemens is an active member 
of the United Brethren Church at Bryan, and is popular in the social 
activities of her home village. 


Harvey F. Brown is one of the efficient and popular officials of 
Williams County and his technical skill and discrimination come into 
effective play in his activities and service as county surveyor. He was 
born in Jefferson County, this state, July 28, 1883, and is a son of 
Ledlie H. and Leanora (Foreman) Brown, both natives of Hancock 
County, West Virginia, where the former was born in 1851 and the 
latter about 1851. The venerable father now maintains his home in 
Jefferson County, Ohio, his loved wife having passed to the life eternal 
in August, 1919, and the subject of this review being the elder of the 
two surviving children, his brother, Frederick R., being a resident of 
Toronto, Ohio. The father is a republican in his political faith, is affi- 
liated with the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows and the Knights of Pythias, and he holds membership in the 
Methodist Protestant Church, as did also his wife. 

In his native county Harvey F. Brown was reared in the fine little 
City of Toronto, and after having there completed the curriculum of 
the public schools he continued his studies in Bethany College and 
graduated, after which he entered Ohio State University, in which 
he was graduated as a member of the class of 1912, and from which 
he received not only the degree of Bachelor of Arts but also that of 
Civil Engineer, the latter degree having been conferred upon him in 
1912. After leaving the university Mr. Brown brought his technical 
knowledge into effective service by entering the employment of the 
Government as inspector of locks and dams on the Ohio River. He 
served also as village engineer of his home town of Toronto, Jefferson 
County, and later became borough engineer at Charleroi, Pennsylvania. 
In 1915 he established his home at Bryan, judicial center of Williams 
County, Ohio, and here he served as deputy county surveyor until 
November 5, 1918, when he was elected county surveyor, in which 
office he has continued to give most able and efficient service, with 
reputation as one of the representative civil engineers in this part of 
his native state. His political allegiance is given to the republican 
party, he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and he and his wife 
hold membership in the Christian Church. 

September 15, 1909, was the day that marked the marriage of 
Mr. Brown to Miss Elizabeth E. Carson, who is a graduate not only 


40 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


of one of the state normal schools of Pennsylvania but also of Bethany 
College in West Virginia, and who had been a successful and popular 
teacher prior to her marriage. 


Atva E. Snyper, M. D., who is engaged in the active general 
practice of his profession in his native city of Bryan, has long held 
distinct prestige as one of the able and representative physicians and 
surgeons of Williams County, is a member of one of the well-known 
pioneer families of the Buckeye State, his parents having been born 
and reared in Columbiana County, this state, where their marriage. 
was solemnized. 

Dr. Alva Earl Snyder was born at Bryan, Williams County, June 
12, 1869, and is a son of Dr. Alva L. and Mary (Richey) Snyder. 
In his native county the father gained his early education in the public 
schools at Salem, and in preparation for his profession he entered and 
was graduated in the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, 
one of the foremost institutions of Eclecticism in the United States. 
Upon coming to Williams County Dr. Alva L. Snyder first engaged 
in practice at Montpelier, but later he removed to Bryan, the county 
seat, where he continued in practice until his death, as a result of an 
accident, on August 14, 1908, his widow here passing away in 1910. 
He was a man of sterling character and high professional ability, and 
he held for many years a secure place as one of the leading physicians 
and surgeons of Williams County. In connection with his practice he 
conducted a well appointed drug store at Bryan and in the later years 
of his life his practice was limited to his office. He was one of the 
honored and influential citizens of Bryan, was affiliated with various 
professional organizations, was a republican in politics and was identi- 
fied with the Masonic fraternity. He served fully thirty years as a 
member of the board of trustees of the Bryan cemetery. 

In the public schools at Bryan Dr. Alva E. Snyder continued his 
studies until he had completed the curriculum of the high school, and 
he early gained practical experience in his father’s drug store. Finally 
he perfected himself for service of this nature by completing a course 
in the Northwestern University Illinois College of Pharmacy, in the 
City of Chicago, from which he received the degree of Graduate in 
Pharmacy. As a licensed pharmacist he was thereafter associated with 
his father in conducting the drug store at Bryan, under the firm name 
of Dr. A. L. Snyder & Son, for five years, and in the meanwhile he 
became imbued with a determined ambition to prepare himself for the 
profession in which his father had achieved success and precedence. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 41 


In consonance with this ambition he was matriculated in famous old 
Jefferson Medical College, in the City of Philadelphia, and in this 
institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1894 and 
with the well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine. He has since 
been actively engaged in practice in his native city and has not only 
achieved marked success but has also added materially to the pro- 
fessional honors of the family name. He has subordinated all other 
interests to the service of his profession, but is loyal and public-spirited 
in his civic attitude, with deep interest in all things touching the well- 
being of his native city and county. His political allegiance is given 
to the republican party, and in the Masonic fraternity he has received 
the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, his 
maximum York Rite affiliation being with Defiance Commandery No. 
30, Knights Templar, at Defiance, and he being also a member of the 
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is 
actively identified with the Williams County Medical Society, the Ohio 
State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. 

Doctor Snyder served from 1900 to 1909 as surgeon in the Ohio 
National Guard, with the rank of captain, and thus he was well forti- 
fied in incidental military experience when he interrupted his private 
practice to tender his services to the Government when the nation 
became involved in the great World war. He enlisted in the medical 
corps on September 28, 1917, and, as captain, was called into active 
service June 25, 1918. He was in service at various military camps 
in the South, was assigned to service with Evacuation Hospital No. 
18, and on August 30, 1918, he sailed for France. He disembarked 
at Brest on the thirteenth of the following month. He continued in 
active and efficient service until the close of the war, as well as for 
some time after the signing of the historic armistice. He received his 
honorable discharge May 31, 1919, and has since given his attention 
to his large and representative private practice in Williams County. 
It may be noted that Doctor Snyder is the elder of the two survivors 
in a family of four children, his sister, Maude, being the wite of 
Rev. Richard L. Locke, a clergyman of the Presbyterian Church. 

In 1894 was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Snyder to Miss 
Netta L. Viers, and they have three children: Wilmer E. was one of 
the patriotic young men who represented Williams County in the war 
activities in France, where he was in active service nine months, he 
having enlisted and been assigned to the One Hundred and Forty- 
Eighth Field Hospital, and his service having been with the One Hun- 
dred and Twelfth Sanitary Train, Thirty-Seventh Division, in France; 


42 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Robert L. is in the aerial mail service of the United States; and Carl- 
ton R. is at the time of this writing a student in the Bryan High School. 
Doctor and Mrs. Snyder are active members of the Universalist 
Church at Bryan and their pleasant home is a center of much of the 
representative social activity of the community. 

1 

Harry B. Catyrn, who sold his farm and moved to Bryan in 
November, 1919, is thoroughly deserving of the proud American title 
of self-made man, the term being one that, in its better sense, cannot 
but appeal to the admiration of all who are appreciative of our national__ 
institutions and the privileges afforded for individual accomplishment. 

Harry B. Calvin was born on his father’s farm in Pulaski Town- 
ship, Williams County, Ohio, on September 13, 1870, and is the son 
of Andrew J. and Emily (Byers) Calvin, both of whom’ were natives 
of Portage County, Ohio. They were reared and educated in their 
native county and both came to Williams County prior to their mar- 
riage. After the latter event they located on the farm recently 
sold by their son, and there they spent the remainder of their 
lives, the father dying in March, 1895, and the mother in 1912. 
They were active members of the Lick Creek Disciples Church, of 
which Mr. Calvin was a deacon. He was a republican in his political 
views and took an active part in local public affairs, having served as 
trustee of Pulaski Township. To him and his wife were born six 
children, namely: J. W., of Bryan; E. E., of Bryan; C. O., of Cad- 
mus, Nebraska; Rosa, the wife of W. H. Scott, of Pittsford, Michigan ; 
Harry B., the subject of this sketch, and Della, of Bryan. 

Harry B. Calvin received his educational training in the public 
schools of Bryan and the Normal School at Fayette, Ohio. He then 
learned the art of telegraphy and was employed by the Standard Oil 
Company, with which company he remained for twenty years, being 
employed as engineer and operator. In 1910 Mr. Calvin bought the 
old homestead in Pulaski Township and he then devoted his atten- 
tion to its operation and showed marked ability as a progressive and 
practical farmer and was numbered among the enterprising agricul- 
turists of his township. 

On March 19, 1891, Mr. Calvin was married to Rilla Kieffer, who 
was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on September 13, 1870, the daugh- 
ter of Jesse Kieffer. She came to Bryan with her parents and attended 
the high school there, after which she devoted her attention to the 
teaching of music. To Mr. and Mrs. Calvin was born a son, Eldred 
A., on April 4, 1892. He attended the public schools and the Bradner 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 43 


high school and on February 24, 1916, he was married to Emma J. 
Sannar, who was born in Bradner, Woods County, Ohio, and is a 
graduate of the high school at Pittsford, Michigan. She taught school 
for one year after completing her studies. 

Fraternally, Mr. Calvin is a member of Bryan Lodge No. 221, 
Knights of Pythias, of which he has served twice as chancellor com- 
mander, and he and his wife are members of the local lodge of Pythian 
Sisters, of which Mrs. Calvin is a past chief and member of the 
Grand Lodge. Politically, Mr. Calvin has always supported the repub- 
lican party and has been active in his advocacy of every movement for 
the advancement of the best interests of the community. He has been 
true and loyal in all the relations of life and stands as a type of that 
sterling manhood which ever commands respect and honor. 


Emmet E. Catvin.—Three vocations, those of farming, teaching 
and plumbing, have entered into the activities of E. E. Calvin during 
a long, successful and honorable career, and in each of these occupa- 
tions he so directed his affairs that he won not only material prosperity 
but established a reputation for efficient workmanship, integrity in his 
transactions with his follow men and co-operation with others in work- 
ing toward the advancement of the general weal. Mr. Calvin, who has 
now retired from active affairs and is living in comfort at his home 
at Bryan, was born on a farm in section 6, Pulaski Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, June 15, 1863, a son of Andrew J. and Emily (Byers) 
Calvin, natives of Portage County, this state. 

The Calvin family is one that has been identified with Williams 
County since 1848, and the old homestead has belonged to several 
generations of the family, having been owned originally by David 
Calvin, later by Joshua Calvin, then by Andrew J. Calvin, who was 
succeeded by his son, Harry Calvin. Andrew J. Calvin was a life- 
long farmer in Pulaski and Jefferson townships, Williams County, and 
a man of rugged honesty and good citizenship. He was a republican 
in politics and served his township as a member of the board of trus- 
tees, and he and his devoted wife were faithful members of the 
Christian Church. They were the parents of six children: J. W., a 
resident of Bryan; E. E.; Charles O., farming in Cadmus, Nebraska ; 
Rose, the wife of W. H. Scott, of Pittsford, Michigan; Harry B., of 
Bryan, Ohio; and Della, unmarried, a resident of Bryan. 

E. E. Calvin attended the district schools of Pulaski Township 
while being reared on the home farm, and subsequently took courses 
in the normal schools at Wauseon and Fayette. He then began his 


44 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


career as a teacher in the rural districts, being for eight years a teacher 
in Pulaski Township, and for one year each in Center and St. Joseph 
townships. Where he gave up the work of an educator, with which 
he had combined farming during the summer months, he engaged in 
drilling wells and putting up windmills for thirty years. The last few 
years he has also added plumbing to his business. He followed that 
occupation during the winter periods while still continuing his agricul- 
tural operations during the summer months. Eventually Mr. Calvin 
settled at Bryan, where he now makes his home, and where he is highly 
esteemed because of his many sterling qualities and his public-spirited ~ 
citizenship. He is a member of Bryan Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and 
in politics is a republican. He has several important business con- 
nections, and is a stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator 
Company at Bryan. 

On December 9, 1894, Mr. Calvin was united in marriage with Miss _ 
Allie Scott, who was born in Superior Township, Williams County, 
Ohio, and to this union there have been born three sons: Denver, a 
graduate of the public schools, who is engaged in operating his father’s 
farm in Pulaski Township; Gayle, a graduate of the Bryan high 
school, now at home with his father; and Scott, who died when nine 
months old. 


HezexiAH Poast has gained secure vantage-place as one of the 
leading buyers and shippers of hay and grain in his native county and 
maintains his residence and business headquarters at Bryan, the county 
seat. He was born on a farm one mile south and one-half mile west 
of Bryan, and the date of his nativity was December 11, 1854. His 
parents, John and Catherine (Rodkey) Poast, were born and reared 
in Pennsylvania, where their marriage was solemnized, and they were 
an ambitious young couple when they came from the old Keystone 
state to Ohio and established their home on a farm near Bryan. There 
the father continued his activities as one of the substantial farmers of 
the county until within a few years of his death, in 1861, when still a 
comparatively young man, his widow surviving him by a number of 
years and both having been earnest members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Of their eleven children only three are now living, all 
of the others having died when young. Esther, eldest of the three sur- 
viving children, is the wife of George Dustan; Hezekiah, of this 
review, is the next younger; and Susan is the wife of George Dick, of 
Williams County. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 45 


Hezekiah Poast was about seven years old at the time of his 
father’s death and was reared to adult age on a farm, the while he 
made good use of the advantages afforded him in the schools of Wil- 
liams County. He was but fourteen years of age when he found 
employment at farm work, and he received as compensation for his 
services the sum of $5 a month. He continued at farm work until he 
was eighteen years of age, and his maximum wages in the meanwhile 
never exceeded $12 a month. At the age noted he took charge of the 
operation of a farm owned by George Burns, and after thus continu- 
ing three years he rented the farm for one year. He then took charge 
of his mother’s farm, on which he continued his activities until he 
had attained to the age of thirty-seven years, when he established 
his residence at Bryan and engaged in the buying and shipping of live 
stock. With this line of enterprise he continued his association until 
1885, when he began buying and shipping hay, and later he expanded 
his operations by including the handling of grain. With this impor- 
tant business he has continued his connection to the present time, and 
he has long controlled a substantial business, based upon fair and 
honorable dealings and careful and conservative policies. In the busi- 
ness he now has as his efficient coadjutor his son-in-law, George Daw- 
son, and they own five well-equipped places for the reception and 
shipping of hay and grain. These headquarters are at Bryan, Mont- 
pelier and Alvordton, Williams County, and Defiance and Moats, 
Defiance County, and through this medium they control a large per- 
centage of the shipping business in these lines in this part of the state. 

Mr. Poast is a republican in his political proclivities but has been 
essentially a business man and thus has had no predilection for political 
activity or public office. He has been an earnest member of the 
United Brethren Church since he was fifteen years old and has been 
liberal and zealous in the furtherance of the various departments of 
church work, as has also his wife. He has been for twenty-seven 
years a member of the board of trustees of the United Brethren 
Church at Bryan. Mr. Poast chose as his wife Miss Mary E. Arnold, 
and they have one daughter, Lanorma, who was graduated in the 
Bryan High School and who later attended the Tri-State College, at 
Angola, Indiana. She is a talented musician and began teaching music 
when she was but fourteen years of age. By this means she earned 
the money with which to purchase her piano. She is now the wife of 
George Dawson, who is associated with her father in business, and 
their one child, Poast Dawson, was born in 1916. 


46 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY ° , 

Avert L. Youse is manifesting the same vigor and discrimination 
in his operations as one of the representative farmers of Pulaski 
Township as he did during his efficient administration in the office of 
sheriff of his native county, and he is a representative of the third 
generation of the Youse family in Williams County, in connection with 
whose annals, since the pioneer days, the family name has been one of ~ 
prominence and influence. 

Mr. Youse was born in Pulaski Township, this county, June 11, 
1868, and is a son of Arthur L. and Elizabeth E. (Saddoris) Youse, _ 
both natives of Bryan, judicial center of this county, where the former 
was born in 1845 and the latter in 1847. Arthur L. Youse was a son 
of Jacob and Emma (Washburn) Youse, the latter of whom was a 
sister of Henry Washburn, who was a civil engineer by profession 
and who, at the instance of and in the service of the Government, was 
the first white man to make an exploration of the now famous Yellow- 
stone National Park. Both the paternal and maternal grandparents 
of the subject of this review were numbered among the early settlers 
of Williams County and were associated with the early stages of civic 
and industrial development and progress in the county. Arthur L. 
Youse well upheld the honors of the family name, both as a loyal and 
public-spirited citizen and as a successful representative of the basic 
industries of agriculture and stock-growing. He continued to reside 
on his fine homestead farm, in Pulaski Township, until his death, in 
1902, his wife having preceded him to the life eternal. Mrs. Youse 
was a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Youse 
was a staunch republican and was influential in community affairs in 
his home township and county. He was prominently affiliated with the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he served as noble 
grand of his lodge and as chief patriarch of the encampment body of 
the fraternity. He and his wife became the parents of five sons and 
three daughters, all of whom are living except one son. 

Albert L. Youse passed the period of his childhood and early 
youth on the old home farm, not far distant from his present farm, 
and his educational advantages were those afforded in the public 
schools of his native township. The major part of.his active career 
has been marked by close and effective association with farm industry, 
and he was one of the substantial farmers of Pulaski Township when, 
in 1899, he was elected sheriff of the county, as the candidate on the 
republican ticket. He gave a most efficient administration and upon 
his retirement from office, in 1903, he accepted a position with the 
Bryan Plow Company, which he represented through both Ohio and . 


iS 
4 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 4? 


” Yndiana and with which he contiued his association eight years. He 
then established his residence om his present farm, which comprises 
om "124 acres and is one of the well improved and attractive rural home- 

_ steads in Pulaski Township, and which gives satisfactory returns under 
the able management of its progressive owner. Mr. Youse is also a 
"stockholder and director of the Bryan Sheet Steel & Metal Compamy- 
” He has been for many years an active worker in the local councils and 
‘campaigus of the republican party, and m the Masonic fraternity he 
maimtams affiliation with the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council at 
_ Bryan and rounds out the circle of the York Rite by his affiliation with 
Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, m the City of 
Defiance. He and his wife hold membership m the Methodist Episco- 
_ pal Church and he has been 2 member of the official board of the same 
_ for fully twenty years. 
oe September 15, 1892, Mr. Youse wedded Miss Bertha Musser, who 
was born im Milford Township, Defiance County, om August 9, 1872. 
1 have two adopted children—Frederick W. Youse and Lena S- 
 Youse—both of whom remain at the home of the loved fosterparents. 


H. A. Turons, proprietor of the marble and gramite works at 
Pioneer, is one of the substantial men of Williams County, comes from 
ane of the old-established families im this locality, and is kvmg up to 
_ the high standards of integrity and dependability raised by bis fore- 
fathers. He was born two miles east of Pioneer, on February 26, 
o 1864, son of Henry and Rosanna (Martm) Throne, the former of 

whom was born in York County, Pennsylvania, but was brought to 
_ Richland County, Ohio, by his parents when he was five years old, the 
family locating five miles north of Mansfield) Hemry Throne was 
there reared and learned the shoemaking trade, at which he worked 
at Mansfield, Ohio. Later he came to Williams County and bought 
1@ acres of land m the woods, about two miles east of Pioneer, and 
members of the German Baptist Church, m which he was 2 deacon 
In politics he was mdependent. He was the father of eight children, 
namely - David, who is 2 farmer of Madisom Township; Susan, who 
is the wife of John Eagle, lives m Van Buren Township, Hillsdale 
County, Michigan; Anna, who was the wife of William Bushong; 
Michael, who lives on the old homestead: Mary, who is the wife af 
Amos Myers, of Hillsdale County, Michigan; H. A. who was sixth 
m order of birth: Effie, who is the wife of William Kemmerly, of 


48 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Pioneer; and Ida, who is the wife of Burt Cummins, of Madison 
Township. 

H. ‘A. Throne was reared on his father’s farm and attended the 
neighborhood schools, remaining with his parents until he was thirty- 
five years of age. In 1898 he moved to Pioneer and was engaged in 
selling monuments for Mr. E. S. Butler, of Montpelier, Ohio, but in 
1908 he established himself in the same line of business and has built 
up a good patronage. 

On August 5, 1886, Mr. Throne was united in marriage with Ida 
Rittenhouse, who was born in Richland County, Ohio, on September 
21, 1865, but was brought to Williams County by her parents when she 
was four years old. She is a daughter of David M. and Amanda 
(Poorman) Rittenhouse, natives of Wayne County, Ohio, and Massil- 
lon, Ohio, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Throne became the parents of 
the following children: Vera, who was graduated from the North 
Manchester, Indiana, Conservatory of Music, in both vocal and instru- 
mental music, is the wife of Loyal H. Martin, a partner of Mr. Throne, 
and a resident of Pioneer; and Audrey, who was born in 1903, died in 
1907. Mr. and Mrs. Throne belong to the German Baptist Church. 
He is independent in his political faith. In addition to the seventeen 
acres where he lives, Mr. Throne owns 178 acres of land in Jefferson 
and Madison townships, and three residences at Pioneer. Mr. Throne 
takes a pride in the fact that he has been able to make his own way 
in the world, and having lived all of his life in this vicinity, he 
naturally is very much interested in the progress made by his com- 
munity and willing to bear his part in any public improvements which 
in his judgment will result in a betterment of existing conditions. 


Eri E. STRAYER is a prominent representative of the real estate 
and loan business at Bryan and is a scion of one of the well-known 
pioneer families: of Williams County. He was born in Jefferson 
Township, this county, August 30, 1858, and is a son of Peter W. and 
Mary C. (Butler) Strayer, the former of whom was born in Lucas 
County, this state, and the latter in Williams County. Peter W. 
Strayer was a boy at the time when his parents established their home 
in Williams County, and his father became a pioneer farmer in Jef- 
ferson Township, where the parents passed the remainder of their 
lives, secure in the high esteen of the entire community. Peter W. 
Strayer was here reared and educated under the conditions and 
influence that marked what may be termed the middle-pioneer period 
of the history of the county, and he became one of the successful 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY ea 


exponents of farm industry in Jefferson Township, where he con- 
tinued to reside until he was well advanced in years, both he and his 
wife having passed the closing period of their lives in the City of 
Montpelier, this county, and both ‘having been zealous members of the 
United Brethren Church. Mr. Strayer was a republican in political 
allegiance and while residing on his farm he was called upon to serve 
in various local offices of public trust. Of the three children the sub- 
ject of this review is the eldest; Louise is the wife of William Porter, 
of Montpelier; and Miss Carrie likewise resides at Montpelier—in 
the old home of her parents. 

The boyhood and youth of Eli E. Strayer were marked by his 
attending the public schools and assisting in the work of the old home 
farm. He remained with his parents on the farm until the time of his 
marriage, shortly before attaining to his legal majority, and thereafter 
he continued his association with farm enterprise until his removal to 
Bryan, where he now controls a substantial and prosperous business 
in the handling of real estate and the extending of loans on approved 
real-estate securities. He has served as a member of the city council 
and is a staunch supporter of the principles of the republican party, 
both he and his wife being earnest members of the United Brethren 
Church at Bryan, in which he is serving as a member of the board 
of trustees. 

July 2, 1878, recorded the marriage of Mr. Strayer to Miss Amanda 
Howey, and they have one son, Ralph H., who was born April 17, 
1891, and who supplemented his public school discipline by a course in 
a commercial college at Morgantown, West Virginia, he being now 
associated with his father in the real estate and loan business. 


H. Correz Miter assumed the office of county auditor of 
Williams County in 1919, and this responsible executive preferment 
indicates the high regard in which he is held in his native county, 
where he has long been a progressive and representative farmer and 
where he continued his active association with agricultural and live- 
stock industry until his election to his present office. His fine farm, 
of 160 acres, is modern in its improvements and facilities and is 
“eligibly situated in Brady and Jefferson townships. He has been a 
leader in the promotion of farm enterprise and interests in the county 
and served three years as secretary of the Farmers’ Institute of Wil- 
liams County. . 

Mr. Miller was born in Brady Township, this county, August 
29, 1878, and is a son of William C. and Margaret L. (Rowles) 


Vol. II—4 


50 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Miller, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the latter 
in Williams County, Ohio, where she still maintains her home. Wil- 
liam C. Miller was but nine months old when his parents came to 
this county, where he was reared and educated and where his entire 
active career was marked by close and successful association with 
the basic industry of agriculture, save for a period of two years 
which he passed, as a young man, in the state of California, where 
he gained his quota of experience in the search for gold—at the time 
when the gold excitement was still at its height in that common- 
wealth. Upon his return to Williams County he engaged in farming 
in Brady Township, and later he acquired farm property also in Jef- — 
ferson Township. He continued as a successful exponent of farm 
enterprise in this county until his death and was one of the honored 
and influential citizens of his community. His political allegiance was 
given to the republican party and both he and his wife held mem- 
bership in the Universalist Church at Stryker. They became the 
parents of six children and besides H. Cortez, of this sketch, three 
others of the children are living: Edwin U., a resident of Bryan; 
Carrie, the wife of Julius Vernier, of Chicago, Illinois; and John, 
a resident of West Unity, Williams County. 

The present efficient and popular auditor of Williams County 
passed the period of his childhood and youth on the home farm, in 
connection with the activities of which he gained fortifying experience 
that was later to prove of inestimable value to him in his independent 
operation as an agriculturist and stock grower. In the public schools 
he continued his studies until he had profited by the advantages of 
the high school at West Unity, and thereafter he took a course in the 
Tri-State Business College, in the City of Toledo, besides having 
attended the Ohio State Normal School at Fayette. Thereafter he 
taught three terms of district school, and after this effective service 
he gave his undivided time and attention to farm enterprise until he 
was elected to the county office of which he is now the incumbent. 
He was for a number of years secretary of the Northwestern Ohio 
Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He was for several years a mem- 
ber of the republican county committee of his native county, and this 
in itself indicates that he. has been influential in the local councils 
and campaign activities of his party. He and his wife hold member- 
ship in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Brady Township—Foun- 
tain Chapel—their removal to the county seat having been incidental 
to his election to his present office ; and he is affiliated with the Knights 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 51 


of Pythias and the Masonic fraternity, Mrs. Miller being an active 
member of the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. 

The year 1902 recorded the marriage of Mr. Miller to Miss Jennie 
Hamet, who has served as a teacher in the public schools of Brady 
and Jefferson townships, Williams County, and they have one daugh- 
ter, Florence Lyndall, who is a student in the Bryan High School at 
this time. 


Epmonp C. Cartin is one of the forward-looking representatives 
of farm enterprise in Pulaski Township, where his well improved farm 
gives distinctive evidence of his progressive policies and efficient man- 
agement. This attractive rural homestead comprises sixty acres, and 
Mr. Carlin also owns about forty additional acres of land, the latter 
being attractively situated three and one-fourth miles northeast of 
Bryan. 

Mr. Carlin was born in Fulton County, this state, August 8, 1876, 
and is a son of Lewis and Julia (Roberts) Carlin, both of whom 
were born and reared in France, where their marriage was solemn- 
ized and where their first two children were born. Upon coming to 
the United States the parents finally established their home on a 
farm in Fulton County, Ohio, not far distant from Stryker, one of 
the leading towns of Williams County. Though the father had been 
a locomotive enginger in his native land, he proved a successful 
farmer and he continued to reside on his well improved farm of 
ninety-two acres until his death, in March, 1919, his widow still 
remaining on the old homestead at the time of this writing. They 
became the parents of five children: Julia is the wife of Curtis 
Bonney; Lewis, Jr., resides in Springfield Township; Emma is the 
wife of Dr. Frederick A. King, of New York City; Edmond C., of 
this review, was the next in order of birth; and Emil remains on the 
home farm with his widowed mother. 

Edmond C. Carlin was reared on the home farm which was the 
place of his birth, in Springfield Township, Fulton County, and gained 
his early education in the public schools. He continued to be asso- 
ciated with the activities of the home farm until he reached his 
legal majority, and he then went to New York City, where he became 
associated with the hotel business, with which he continued his connec- 
tion five years. He traveled about somewhat extensively through the 
eastern states, but finally he returned to Ohio, where was sol- 
emnized his marriage to Miss Bertie Lockhart. They settled on 
a farm south of Bryan, but later he sold this place and purchased 


Da HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


his present farm, which has since continued the scene of his success- 
ful enterprise in diversified agriculture and the raising of good types 
of livestock. He gives loyal support to the cause of the republican 
party and he and his wife are earnest communicants of the Lutheran 
Church. They have six children, whose names and respective dates 
of birth are here recorded: Harvey, February 28, 1892; Naomi, 
November 2, 1893; Oscar, July 30, 1895; Dale, May 10, 1897 ; 
Lamoille, July 31, 1899; and Earl, May 7, 1918. 


Wittram M. Manevat.—A progressive and skilful agriculturist 
of Brady Township, William M. Maneval, whose farm lies one mile 
south of West Unity, is pursuing his pleasant and independent occupa- 
tion with marked success, his well tilled land yielding bountiful crops. 
A son of Peter Maneval, he was born, September 2, 1862, in Lycoming 
County, Pennsylvania, the descendant of one of the earlier families 
of that state. 

Born in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Peter Maneval was there 
brought up and educated. Marrying when young, he settled near 
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he lived a number of years. Seek- 
ing a more favorable location, he came with his family to Ohio 
about 1872, and having settled in Williams County, a mile south of 
West Unity, he bought land and was subsequently engaged in tilling 
the soil until his death. Politically he was a stanch supporter of the 
principles of the republican party, and both he and his wife were 
active and worthy members of the Evangelical Church. To him and 
his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Drum, four children 
were born, as follows: William M., the subject of this brief per- 
sonal record; Emma, wife of Wilmer Heaton, of Fulton County, 
Ohio; Rose, wife of John Zink, of Iowa; and Frank, deceased. 

Ten years old when he came with his parents to Williams County, 
William M. Maneval was educated in the schools of West Unity and 
Pulaski. Remaining with his parents until attaining his majority, he 
acquired agricultural knowledge and experience of value, and readily 
selected farming as his life work. Mr. Maneval has sixty-five acres 
of choice land in his own farm, but being a man of industry, energy 
>and ambition he rents eighty acres of land adjoining his estate, and is 
managing the whole with highly satisfactory results. 

Mr. Maneval has been twice married. He married first Miss Emma 
Buck, who died in early womanhood, leaving five children, namely: 
Florence, wife of Scott Baltosser; Alda, wife of Joseph Kehr, of 
Bryan, Ohio; Vernon, living in Montana; Howard, of Bryan; and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 53 


Herman, also a resident of Bryan. On December 21, 1904, Mr. 
Maneval married for his second wife Catherine Weidler, who was 
born December 11, 1870, in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, and 
came to Williams County, where she was married. Four children 
have blessed their union, Walter, Edith, Lloyd and Lola. Mr. Maneval 
is a stockholder in the Farmers Commercial and Savings Bank. He 
is identified in politics with the republican party, but has never been 
an aspirant for public office. He is a consistent member of the 
Methodist Church at West Unity, to which Mrs. Maneval also belongs. 


SiLas SHAFFER.—Conspicuous among the representative agricul- 
turists and stock men of Williams County is Silas Shaffer, of Pulaski 
Township. He has made his influence felt for good in his community, 
his life having been closely interwoven with its history for a number 
of years. His efforts have been for the material advancement of the 
same, and the well regulated life he has led, thereby gaining the respect 
and good will of all with whom he has come into contact, entitles 
him to representation in a work of the character of the one in hand. 

Silas Shaffer was born on his father’s farm on section 12, Pulaski 
Township, Williams County, Ohio, on May 3, 1857, and he is the son 
of David and Mary E. (Smith) Shaffer. Both of these parents were 
natives of Maryland, where they were reared, educated and married. 
Sometime after their marriage they came to Ohio, buying a farm in 
Crawford County, where they lived for a time, but, selling that place, 
they made permanent settlement on section 12, Pulaski County, where 
they spent the remainder of their days. They were members of the 
Reformed Church and Mr. Shaffer was a supporter of the democratic 
party. Of the eight children born to them, six are living at this time, 
namely: Michael, of West Unity, Ohio; Silas, the subject of this 
sketch; Mary, the wife of Henry Updyke, of West Unity, Ohio; 
David, of Pulaski Township; Charles, of Bryan, Ohio; Cora, the wife 
of Oscar Pifer, of Toledo, sOhio. 

Silas Shaffer remained under the parental roof until he had attained © 
mature years and his educational training was received in the common 
schools of Pulaski Township. After his marriage, which occurred in 
1879, he began business on his own account and through the subse- 
quent years he has gradually forged ahead until today he is in very 
comfortable circumstances and numbered among the substantial and 
representative agriculturists of his section of the county. He owns 100 
acres of excellent land, the greater part of which is devoted to general 


54 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


farming, though he also gives some attention to the raising of live stock. 
Thorough practical in everything he does, he has so ordered his actions 
as to gain liberal returns for the effort which he puts into his operations. 

On December 25, 1879, Mr. Shaffer was married to Maggie Fehli- 
man, who was born in Springfield Township, Ohio, on February 11, 
1859, the daughter of Lewis and Catherine (Caesar) Fehliman. Her 
father was a soldier for the Union during the Civil War and gave 
up his life on the altar of his country, being killed in battle on Novem- 
ber 25, 1862. To Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer have been born five children, 
namely: Gertrude, who is the wife of Rev. W. E. Harmon, a min- 
ister of the Christian Church; Oscar, who married Daisy Reader, of 
Redlands, California; Elgie, who is a graduate in medicine and who 
served two years in the recent World War, was married to Gertrude 
Roback, of Columbus, Ohio; Floyd, who was married to Cecil Coil, 
of Bryan, enlisted, on December 13, 1917, in the United States avia- 
tion service. He was first sent to Camp Grant, at Rockford, Illinois, 
but was later transferred to Camp Dorfield, in Florida, thence to 
Charleston, and still later to Newport News, Virginia. From there 
he was sent to Langley Field, in Virginia, and from there to Garden 
City, New York. He was finally mustered out on January 26, 1919, 
at Camp Sherman, Ohio, reaching home the following day. The fifth 
child, Paul, is at home with his parents. 

Politically, Silas Shaffer gives his support to the democratic party 
and takes a keen interest in the advancement of the best interests of 
the community in which he lives. He is a stockholder in the Pulaski 
Grain Elevator and in other ways gives his support to material enter- 
prises of the county. Mrs. Shaffer is a member of the Christian 
Church at Bryan. Mr. Shaffer has been successful in business and 
respected in his social life, and as a neighbor he has discharged his 
duties in a manner becoming a liberal-minded, intelligent citizen of 
the state where the essential qualities of manhood have ever been duly 
recognized and prized at their true value. 


Dwicut O. LEsLiE is numbered among the representative young 
business men of Bryan, judicial center of Williams County, where 
he is proprietor of the Bryan Monumental Works. His establishment 
is equipped with the best of modern facilities, his stock of monu- 
ments and other mortuary memorials offers at all times a wide range 
for selection, and the highest grade of workmanship is assured in all 
products turned forth from the establishment. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 55 


Mr. Leslie was born in Stark County, Ohio, September 1, 1883, 
and is a son of Amos and Samantha (Watkins) Leslie, of whose 
eight children all are living except one. Amos Leslie was born and 
reared in St. Joseph County, Indiana, whence he came to Ohio, where 
he later married Miss Samantha Watkins, who was born in Carroll 
County, this state. For a number of years Mr. Leslie has been 
engaged in successful market gardening near Canton, the judicial 
center of Stark County, his political support being given to the repub- 
lican party and both he and his wife being active members of the 
Reformed Church. 

Dwight O. Leslie gained his early education in the public schools 
of his native county and supplemented this by a course in a well 
conducted business college in the City of Canton. He then entered 
upon a practical apprenticeship in the monument business, and in 
the early years of his application to practical work in this line he 
received compensation of only one dollar a day. Asa skilled workman 
he eventually commanded good salary, and he was finally made fore- 
man of a leading monument concern in the City of Canton. He 
remained with this firm ten years and then, in 1914, came to Bryan 
and purchased a half interest in the business of E. B. Willett, the 
style of the firm now is the Bryan Monumental Works. The effective 
service given by the Bryan Monumental Works has gained to the 
concern a substantial and representative supporting patronage, and 
the high-grade work turned out constitutes the best advertising asset 
of the enterprise. Mr. Leslie is a progressive not only as a business 
man but also as a citizen, and is a republican in his political pro- 
clivities. He and his wife are active communicants of the Lutheran 
Church, in which he is an elder, and both hold membership in the 
local organization of the Pythian Sisters, he being, in 1920, the chan- 
cellor commander of Bryan Lodge, No. 221, Knights of Pythias, 
besides which he is affiliated with Bryan Lodge, No. 215, Free and 
Accepted Masons. 

In 1908 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Leslie to Miss Ada 
Warley, of Carroll County, and they have one son, Harold, who was 
born December 4, 1910. 


H. F. PLanson.—Intimately associated with the agricultural inter- 
ests of Springfield Township, his finely improved farm lying three- 
fourths of a mile south and one mile east of Stryker, H. F. Planson 
holds high rank among the prosperous farmers of Williams County, 
the record of whose lives fills an important place in this volume. He 


56 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNT. 


was born, January 14, 1867, in Lockport, Brady Township, this county, 
a son of Peter and Frances Planson. 

Peter Planson was born, bred and educated in Brady Township, 
near Lockport, and as a young man selected farming as his oceupa- 
tion. Industrious and economical, he saved his earnings, and soon 
after his marriage began farming in his native township. Subse- 
quently coming with his family to Springfield Township, he bought 
land near Stryker, and was successfully engaged in tilling the soil 
until ready to retire from active labor. Removing then to Stryker, 
he spent the closing years of his life in ease and comfort, both he and - 
his wife dying there. Active in republican circles, he served as town- 
ship trustee a number of terms. Religiously both he and his wife 
were members of the Baptist Church. His wife, whose maiden name 
was Frances Racine, came from France to Lockport, Ohio, when about 
twenty-two years of age and here she was married. Nine children 
blessed their union, as follows: H. F., the subject of this sketch; 
Emiel; Ida; Charles; George; Nora, wife of James Roux; Sylvia; 
Fred; and a child that died. in early life. 

Completing his early education in the public schools of Stryker, 
H. F. Planson remained with his parents until twenty-five years of 
age, when, with very limited means at his command, he began the 
battle of life on his own account, for three years thereafter living 
on rented land. Having obtained some money, he then purchased 
sixty acres of the land included in his present farm, and in its man- 
agement showed marked ability. He has since added by purchase 
forty more acres, and has now a fine farm of 100 acres, the greater 
part of which is under culture, the land being as rich and productive 
as any in the neighborhood. Mr. Planson has been very fortunate in 
his undertakings, and in addition to making many wise improvements 
on his home place, he is now building a modernly constructed residence 
in Stryker, on North Main Street, where he may eventually live. 

Mr. Planson married, December 22, 1891, Anna Juillard, and to 
them three children have been born, namely: Mertie, a graduate of 
the Stryker High School, is the wife of Emil Hayes; Arthur, who 
married Grace Bender, served as a corporal in the World War, and 
while in France was gassed; and Edwin, a graduate of the Stryker 
High School, married Miss Sine, and lives in Stryker. A steadfast 
republican in politics, Mr. Planson was elected township trustee in 
November, 1919, and is rendering appreciated service in that capacity. 
He is an active and worthy member of the Baptist Church, of which 
he is a trustee and a deacon. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 5? 


DanreL C. McTaccart, M. D., has been for more than thirty 
years established in the practice of his profession at Bryan, judicial 
center of Williams County, and holds secure vantage ground as one 
of the representative physicians and surgeons of this section of the 
Buckeye State. The broad scope of his practice indicates alike his 
ability and the high estimate placed upon him in his home community. 

Doctor McTaggart was born at Mapleton, Province of Ontario, 
Canada, July 19, 1856, and is a scion of the staunchest of Scotch ances- 
try. His father, Donald McTaggart, was born and reared in Scot- 
land, where he received excellent educational advantages, and he was 
about twenty years of age when, in company with his four brothers, 
he crossed the Atlantic Ocean, on a sailing vessel of the type common 
to that period, and established his home in the Province of Ontario, 
Canada. He was a man of fine intellectuality, as may well be under- 
stood when it is stated that he was educated for the ministry of the 
Presbyterian Church, but he never entered the active service of the 
ministry. For several years after coming to America he held a clerical 
and executive position with a prominent lumbering company in 
Ontario, and finally he purchased land and turned his attention to farm 
industry, in which he achieved success and with which he continued 
to be identified during the remainder of his active career, his death 
having occurred on his fine old homestead farm in Elgin County, 
Ontario. His first wife was a young woman at the time of her death 
and he later married Miss Sarah House, and of the four children of 
this union two died in infancy, Doctor McTaggart of this review being 
the elder of the two surviving, and his sister, Mary, being the wife of 
William H. Healy, Sr., of Miami, Florida. 

Doctor McTaggart profited fully by the advantages afforded in the 
public schools of his native province, and after completing the curric- 
ulum of the high school at Springfield, he continued to be associated 
with farm enterprise until he had attained to the age of twenty-seven 
years, besides which he did an appreciable amount of work as a car- 
penter. In consonance with his ambition he finally provided ways 
and means for its concrete realization, in that he began preparing 
himself for the medical profession. After preliminary study under 
effective private preceptorship he finally entered the Cincinnati Col- 
lege of Medicine, at Cincinnati, Ohio, and in this institution he was 
graduated as a member of the class of 1888. After thus receiving his 
degree of Doctor of Medicine he came to Bryan, in the spring of 
1888, and Williams County has continued the stage of his earnest, 
humane and successful service in the work of his profession during the 


58 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


jong intervening years. He has kept in constant touch with the 
advances made in medical and surgical science, avails himself of the 
best standard and periodical literature of his profession, and gains 
much also through his active membership in the American Institute 
of Homoeopathy, the Ohio State Medical Society and the Williams 
County Medical Society, of which last mentioned he is president at 
the time of this writing, in 1920. 

A staunch supporter of the principles of the republican party, 
Doctor McTaggart has never sought public office but his communal 
loyalty has been effectively shown in his sixteen years of service as 
a member of the board of education at Bryan, of which body he is 
vice president at the present time. He and his wife are active mem- 
bers of the Christian Church and his Masonic affiliations are with 
Bryan Lodge, No. 215, Free and Accepted Masons; Bryan Chapter, 
No. 45, Royal Arch Masons; and Bryan Council, No. 101, Royal and 
Select Masters. He is affiliated also with the Knights of Maccabees. 

At Mapleton, Ontario, Canada, in 1881, was solemnized the mar- 
riage of Doctor McTaggart to Miss Addie E. White, who was there 
born and reared and who is a daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth 
(Hull) White. Dr. and Mrs. McTaggart have two children: Hazel 
is the wife of Ralph B. Shannock, of Mansfield, Ohio, and they have 
one son, Donald R. Kenneth W. McTaggart, who is associated with 
business enterprise at Bryan, married Miss Freda Bragg and they 
have two children, Dorothy and Mary M. 


Witzur M. Fyxe.—The extent and importance of the enterprises 
with which the late Wilbur M. Fyke was identified during the active 
period of his career caused him to be accounted justly as one of the 
prominent men of Williams County, and more particularly of Brady 
Township, where for many years he carried on operations as a farmer 
and breeder of stock. While late in life he lived in semi-retirement 
at West Unity, he maintained his interests in a number of enterprises 
in the county in which his business ability and good citizenship were 
factors in developing the natural resources of the section. 

Mr. Fyke was born in Summit County, Ohio, May 13, 1855, a 
son of Henry and Catherine E. (Brett) Fyke. His father, born in 
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, February 17, 1823, was a young 
man when he went to Wayne County, Ohio, where in 1850, he married 
Miss Brett, who was born in Pennsylvania, of New England ances- 
try, December 9, 1826. In 1857 they moved to Williams County and 
located on a farm in Springfield Township, south of Stryker, on 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 59 


which they made their home and carried on agricultural operations 
until 1909, when they moved to Stryker and retired. Henry and 
Catherine E. Fyke were the parents of six children: Frank, of La 
Grange, Indiana; Charles A., of Bryan, Ohio; Wilbur M.; Mary, the 
wife of E. E. Mallory, of Los Angeles, California; George, of Chi- 
cago, Illinois; and Ella, the widow of John Paxton, of Bryan. The 
mother of these children died in 1896 and in 1898 Mr. Fyke married 
Catherine Chappens, who was born December 9, 1826, in Pennsylvania, 
and was eighteen years of age when she accompanied her parents to 
Summit County, Ohio. Mr. Fyke united with the Oak Grove Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church in 1868, and remained a consistent member 
thereof until his death at Stryker, April 12, 1910. 

Wilbur M. Fyke was reared on the home farm near Stryker and 
obtained his education in the district schools and at a normal school 
at Bryan, under the instruction of Professor Mygrants. At the age 
of nineteen years he began to teach school, and this profession he 
followed for twenty-two years continuously, becoming one of the most 
popular and efficient teachers in Williams County. After he went to 
farming, he purchased 162 acres two miles east of West Unity, where 
he followed farming until 1907, at that time retiring from active opera- 
tions and moving to West Unity where he maintained his residence 
until his death August 29, 1920. 

While not actively engaged himseli in farming affairs, Mr. Fyke 
held extensive holdings, and a feature of the work done on his farm 
was the breeding of cattle, he having seventeen head of registered 
Holstein cattle led by a prize-winning individual, as well as much good 
graded cattle. He was the representative at West Unity for Swift 
& Company, in the sale of fertilizer products, and was a life member 
of the Farmers National Congress. Mr. Fyke served as a director 
of the Brady Township Fire Insurance Company for fifteen years 
and as secretary and manager of the Electric Light Plant seven years, 
and was one of the founders of the Farmers Commercial and Savings 
Bank, in which he was a stockholder. Mr. Fyke likewise was active 
in religious work, as a member of the official board and recording 
steward of the Methodist Episcopal Church and treasurer of the 
Sunday school, in which he also taught a class. 

On December 29, 1880, Mr. Fyke was united in marriage with 
Ada Cook, one of triplets, the others being: Dora, who married 
Jacob Smith; and Frank P., who married Mary A. Bradick. Mrs. 
Fyke, who is the only survivor in a family of fourteen children, was 
born on a farm south of West Unity, November 21, 1852, and was 


60 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


educated in the public schools. She is a member of a family which 
came to Williams County in 1850, and a daughter of Daniel and 
Rebecca W. (Kenney) Cook. The latter was born January 1, Pea 
in Washington County, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Benjamin and 
Elizabeth Kenney, and became widely known as a student and a com- 
poser of poetry. She was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and greatly respected and beloved, and the first child born to 
her and her husband was the late Hon. Theodore Cook. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Fyke there have been born four children: George, a grad- 
uate of West Unity High School, who is carrying on operations on 
the old homestead east of West Unity; James C., of Pittsburgh, Penn- 
sylvania, a graduate of the high school at West Unity, and of the 
university at Ada, Ohio, in mechanical engineering ; Frank C., a grad- 
uate of West Unity High School, and of mechanical engineering at 
Ada, and now with the Standard Oil Company at Elizabeth, New 
Jersey, and Charles W., who died aged two months. 


Ernest E. CuLBerTSON, who holds the position of cashier in the 
First National Bank of Bryan, was born in this village, the judicial 
center of Williams County, October 3, 1883, and is a son of William 
F. and Jennie (McGraw) Culbertson. William F. Culbertson passed 
his entire life in this county, where his parents settled in the pioneer 
days, and he was long numbered among the representative business 
men and honored and influential citizens of his native county. He 
served five years as treasurer of the county and thereafter was engaged 
in the lumber business at Bryan until the time of his death, when 
he was about fifty-nine years of age. His widow was a girl when 
she came with her parents to West Unity, this county, where she 
was reared to adult age and where she remained until the time of her 
marriage. She passed to the life eternal in 1904, both she and her 
husband having been zealous members of the Presbyterian Church, 
in which Mr. Culbertson long served as an elder of the church at 
Bryan, he having also been affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. Of 
the nine children seven are living. 

In the public schools of Bryan, Ernest E. Culbertson continued 
his studies until his graduation in the high school, and thereafter he 
served three years as deputy county treasurer, under the administration 
of his father as county treasurer. Upon his retirement from this 
position he assumed that of bookkeeper in the First National Bank 
of Bryan, on November 15th, 1909, and he has since continued as 
an efficient member of the office corps of this representative institu- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 61 


tion, in which he now holds the position of a cashier. He is an active 
and loyal worker in the local ranks of the republican party, is past 
master of Bryan Lodge, No. 215, Free and Accepted Masons, which 
he has represented in the grand lodge of Ohio, and he is also secre- 
tary of Northwest Chapter, No. 45, Royal Arch Masons. Both he 
and his wife are earnest members of the Presbyterian Church at 
Bryan, and he is serving in 1920-as superintendent of its Sunday 
school. 

November 18, 1911, recorded the marriage of Mr. Culbertson to 
Miss Taisy Kline, daughter of Henry O. Kline, of Bryan, and they 
have two children—Jane and Margaret. 


JosepH P. ARNocp, president of the State Bank of Kunkle, living 
at Bryan, is one of the prominent and influential representatives of 
banking enterprise in Williams County, and takes due satisfaction in 
claiming the judicial center of the county as the place of his nativity. 
He was born at Bryan, December 20, 1863, and is a son of Charles and 
Violet A. (Fulton) Arnold. The father was born in the Province 
of Alsace-Lorraine, France, and was nine years of age when he 
accompanied his parents on their immigration to America, he having 
been reared and educated in Ohio, and having been a resident of 
Williams County for'many years prior to his death, which occurred 
at Bryan. He was a carpenter by trade and became a successful con- 
tractor and builder at Bryan, his political allegiance having been given 
to the republican party and both he and his wife having been earnest 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They became the 
parents of five sons, of whom four are living: Edward J. is a resi- 
dent of Anderson, Indiana; Hiram W. maintains his home at Bryan ; 
and Charles A. is a resident of Greenfield, Indiana; the subject of 
this review being the youngest of the number. The mother was born 
in Pennsylvania and was a child when her parents came to Ohio 
and established their home in Williams County, where she was reared, 
and educated and where she passed the remainder of her life. 

Joseph P. Arnold is indebted to the public schools of Bryan for 
his early educational discipline, and after attaining to adult age he was 
for sixteen years here engaged in the meat market business. He 
devoted the next decade to farm enterprise, but his financial advance- 
ment was primarily the result of his successful operations in the buying 
and selling of real estate—principally farm properties in this section 
of the Buckeye State. In 1913 Mr. Arnold returned to Bryan, and 
he was one of the organizers and incorporators of the Kunkle State 


62 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Bank, with the active administration of which he has since continued 
to be prominently identified. The other officers of this substantial 
institution are as here noted: Philip Wagner, president, now deceased ; 
John Kunkle, second vice president, and George W. Wagner, cashier. 
The bank bases its operation on a capital stock of $25,000 and its busi- 
ness is of’ most substantial order, based on wise and conservative 
policies and careful management, and upon the unqualified confi- 
dence of its supporters. Mr. Arnold gives the major part of his 
time and attention to the affairs of this institution, but is also super- 
intendent of Garver Park, at Bryan, and maintains a general super- 
vision of his farm, which is well improved and comprises 120 acres. _ 

As a young man Mr. Arnold wedded Miss Catherine Lantz, 
daughter of the late John Lantz, who was president of the Mont- 
pelier National Bank, at Montpelier, this county, at the time of his 
death. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have no children, 


Levi B. KunKLeE.—Among the native born citizens of Williams 
County who have spent their lives within its precincts, and have aided 
in every possible way its growth and development, is Levi B. Kunkle, 
whose birth occurred, April 26, 1858, on the farm where he now lives, 
it being located one mile south and one-fourth of a mile west of West 
Unity, in Brady Township, where his father, John H. Kunkle, located 
in pioneer days. He comes of distinguished patriotic stock, his grand- 
father, Henry H. Kunkle, having fought bravely in the War of 1812, 
while his great-grandfather, Jacob Kunkle, served for seven years in 
the Revolutionary war. 

Born January 26, 1818, in Perry County, Pennsylvania, John H. 
Kunkle remained there until 1835, when he made his way to Shelby, 
Ohio, where he learned the trade of a tailor. Removing from there 
to Mansfield, Ohio, he followed the trade of a carpenter for a while. 
Deciding to change his occupation, he came to Williams County in 
1841, and invested what money he had, all of which, with the excep- 
tion of 50 cents that constituted his entire wealth when he arrived 
in Ohio, he had accumulated in Richland County, in land. He bought 
eighty acres in Brady Township, ‘and as a general farmer met with 
good success. As his means increased, he added other land by pur- 
chase, at the time of his death having title to 215 acres of good land. 
He was active in public affairs, and served one or more terms as 
township trustee. He married, in 1848, Lavina Bargahiser, who was 
born in Richland County, Ohio, where her parents, Levi and Susan 
Bargahiser, were pioneer settlers, and into their household five chil- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 63 


dren were born, as follows: George, Susan, Lavina, Hattie, and 
Levi B. Both parents were active and faithful members of the Pres- 
byterian Church. . 

The youngest child of the parental household, Levi B. Kunkle, 
grew to manhood on the farm where he now lives, and as a boy and 
youth attended the district schools of Brady Township, in the mean- 
time becoming familiar with the various branches of agriculture. Suc- 
ceeding to the ownership of a portion of the home farm, he is suc- 
cessfully following his chosen vocation, having, in sections 17 and 18, 
173 acres of fertile land, which he cultivates with desired results, the 
soil being rich and fertile. 

On July 23, 1884, Mr. Kunkle was united in marriage with Eliza- 
beth Neaster, who was born and reared on a farm in Brady Township, 
and they are the parents of two children, namely: Blanche, born 
March 8, 1885; and Golda, born March 20, 1893. Blanche, who was 
educated in the West Unity High School, married George Stevens, a 
farmer living just across the road from Mr. Kunkle, and they have 
one daughter, Elizabeth Stevens, born December 13, 1912. Golda, 
the younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kunkle, a high school gradu- 
ate, married Frank Hoover, of West Unity, and they have one daugh- 
ter, Mary A., born September 18, 1916. Mr. Kunkle is a faithful 
republican in politics, and has served as township trustee for seven 
years. Both he and his wife are esteemed and valued members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 


BENJAMIN FRANKLIN NEFF, senior member of the firm cope 184 18. 
Neff & Son, manufacturers of drain-tile and brick, at Bryan, has 
been the dominating figure in developing one of the most important 
_ industrial enterprises of Williams County, and the high-grade prod- 
ucts manufactured at the Neff plant find constant and cumulative 
demand in connection with material improvements in both town and 
farm properties in this section of the Buckeye State. 

Mr. Neff was born in West Moreland County, Pennsylvania, 
November 10, 1855, and is a son of John G. and Mary (Garver) 
Neff, who were born and reared in the old Keystone state and who 
there continued to reside until 1868, when they came to Williams 
County, Ohio, and established their home at Bryan. The father had 
not only proved successful as a farmer but also as a manufacturer of 
brick and tile, and he it was who founded the substantial industry of 
which his son Benjamin F. is now the executive head. After coming 
to Williams County John G. Neff first confined his attention to the 


64 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


manufacturing of brick, but later he amplified the enterprise to include 
the manufacturing of high-grade drain-tile. Eventually he admitted 
his son Benjamin F. to partnership in the business, and the son later 
assumed full control, his progressiveness and energy having come 
effectively into play in extending the scope of the industry and making 
it one of much importance in a practical way as well as a medium 
for the achieving of substantial success. The parents passed the 
remainder of their lives in Williams County, where they held high 
place in popular esteem, both having been zealous members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church and the father having been a democrat 
in his political faith. 

Benjamin F. Neff acquired his rudimentary education in his native 
state and was a lad of about thirteen years at the time of the family 
removal to Williams County, where he continued to attend school for 
the next few years and where he finally became actively associated 
with his father’s manufacturing business, as previously noted. After 
he had attained to his legal majority he became associated with his 
father in establishing a brick yard at West Unity, this county, and of 
this he had the active management for ten years, within which he 
did a substantial business in the manufacturing of brick and tile. 
After selling the plant and business at West Unity he returned to 
Bryan and became a partner of his father in the brick and tile manu- 
factory at this place. Here he has since continued the enterprise 
with success and upon admitting his son to partnership the present 
firm name was adopted. Mr..Neff also owns a farm of fifty acres, 
near Bryan, and he maintains a general supervision of the operations 
on this place, which is devoted to diversified agriculture and the rais- 
ing of live stock on a somewhat limited scale. 

Mr. Neff is found aligned staunchly in the ranks of the democratic 
party, but he has had no desire for public office, though he served 
four years as treasurer of Pulaski Township. He is past master 
of Bryan Lodge, No. 215, Free and Accepted Masons, and is affiliated 
also with the local chapter of Royal Arch Masons and the Council 
of Royal and Select Masters. He is a zealous member of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church at Bryan, as was also his wife, and is serving 
as chairman of its board of trustees. 

In 1881 Mr. Neff wedded Miss Laura Allison, of Stryker, this 
county, and their gracious companionship was severed when on Janu- 
ary 7, 1919, Mrs. Neff passed to the life eternal, her memory 
being revered by all who came within the sphere of her kindly influ- 
ence. Of the three children the eldest is Emery A., who was grad- 
uated in the Bryan High School and who is now the junior member 


Hist@ORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 65 


of the firm of B. F. Neff & Son; Arthur G. was graduated in Oberlin 
College and later in historic old Harvard University, and he is now 
a successful contractor in the City of Detroit, Michigan, he having 
enlisted in the heavy field artillery when the nation became involved 
in the World war and having continued in camp service twenty-two 
months, his command having not been called to active service over- 
seas; and Florence, whose higher education was received in the 
great University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, is now the wife of 
James Roe, editor of the Bryan Press, in her native city. 


Ext R. SHELINE.—Possessing shrewd business sense and being able 
to put into his enterprises the full force of well-directed efforts, Eli 
R. Sheline, now living retired at Edon, has been one of the men 
who has raised the standards of production in manufacturing in this 
region, and still maintains a prestige in his community because of 
the interest he always manifests in civic affairs. 

Born in Carroll County, Ohio, December 4, 1848, Eli R. Sheline 
was but six years old when he was brought to Williams County by 
his parents, Andrew and Ann Sheline, so that he has spent prac- 
tically his whole life in this section of the state, and here all of his 
interests center. 

Andrew Sheline was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 
April 20, 1819, and his wife was born in Carroll County, Ohio, in 
1823. Coming to Carroll County, Ohio, when a young man, Andrew 
Sheline was there married, and was employed in building several 
grist mills in that county as he was a carpenter and millwright. In 
1855 he came to Williams County, and built the first grist mill at 
Edon, operating it and developing the plant to considerable propor- 
tions during the war between the states. Both he and his wife spent 
the remainder of their lives at Edon, and became very prominent 
as members of the Christian Church there, in which he was a class 
leader and elder. He was one of the founders of the church, and 
continued to be one of the very liberal contributors to it until his 
death. In politics he was a republican. His interests were not con- 
fined to his mill, but he owned stock in a number of enterprises at 
different times and was exceedingly successful in all that he undertook. 
The children born to him and his wife were as follows: Benjamin 
F., Edwin K., Eli R., Mary, Louisa, Jennie, Harriette A. and Saman- 
tha, who are living, the second child, Martha E., is deceased. 

Eli R. Sheline attended the public schools of Florence Township 
until he was fifteen years old when he entered Hiram College, and then 
attended school at Bryan, Ohio, but although prepared for the profes- 


Vol. II—5 


66 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


sion, he never taught school, but began working for his father in 
the mill. In 1866 Andrew Sheline erected a woolen mill, and later 
Eli R. Sheline bought an interest in it, and eventually took all of the 
stock, becoming the sole owner in 1882, and conducted it until it was 
destroyed by fire, at which time, due to the shock and anxiety, his 
health failed, and since then he has lived in practical retirement. 

On February 25, 1875, Mr. Sheline was married to Rebecca J. 
Eyster, who was born in Fulton County, Ohio, but was married at 
Edon, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Sheline became the parents of four chil- 
dren, namely: Cordelia and Arthur E., who are both deceased; Hol- 
land L., who is foreman of one of the factories at Edon; and Orville, 
who died at the age of two years. Both Mr. Sheline and his wife are 
members of the Christian Church. Like his father Mr. Sheline is 
a republican. He, too, has been very successful, and in addition to 
other property, owns 116 acres of land adjoining the lower end of 
Edon. 


J. E. Arspaucu.—The record of the gentleman whose name 
introduces this sketch contains no exciting chapter of tragic events, 
but is replete with well defined purposes which, carried to successful 
issue, have won for him an influential place in business circles and 
high personal standing among his fellow citizens. His life work has . 
been characterized by unceasing industry and perseverance and the 
systematic and honorable methods which he has ever followed have 
resulted not only in gaining the confidence of those with whom he 
has had dealings, but also in the building up of a good business and 
the accumulation of a good property. 

J. E. Alspaugh, manager of the Stryker Lumber Company, at 
Stryker, Ohio, is a native son of the Buckeye State, having been born 
on his father’s farm, about sixteen miles southeast of Columbus, 
Franklin County, on July 14, 1867. He is a son of Jonathan and 
Christiana (Beartsch) Alspaugh, the former a native of Van Wert 
County, Ohio, and the latter born in Franklin County on the same 
farm where the subject was born. Jonathan Alspaugh was reared 
to manhood in Van Wert County, and at the outbreak of the Civil 
war he offered his services in defense of the Union, enlisting in the 
Forty-sixth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he 
served three years. After his return from the army, he moved to 
Franklin County and engaged in farming, becoming the owner of 
sixty acres of land in Van Wert County, Ohio, on which he carried 
on general farming operations. He was an earnest supporter of the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 67 


republican party and served’ as assessor of Wilshire Township. He 
was a member of the Presbyterian Church and was affiliated with the 
Masonic order. To him and his wife were born eight children, six 
of whom are living, namely: J. E., the immediate subject of this 
sketch ; Louisa, the wife of Elmer Coffman; O. A., of Cuyhoga Falls; 
E. H., a physician of Wilshire, Ohio; Bertha L., wife of Fred Heard- 
ering, of Anderson, Indiana, and Gracie, a stenographer in Chicago. 

J. E. Alspaugh was about one year of age when the family moved 
to Van Wert County, Ohio, and there he was reared and secured his 
educational training in the public schools. He spent his summers in 
working on the home farm until he had attained his majority, when 
he engaged in farming for about seven years. He then went to Rock- 
ford, Ohio, where he engaged in carpentering and contracting for 
about thirteen years. During the following three years he gave his 
attention to agricultural pursuits, but then engaged in the lumber 
business at Wilshire, which commanded his attention for six years. 
In May, 1919, Mr. Alspaugh came to Stryker and purchased a large 
interest in the Stryker Lumber Company, of which he was elected 
secretary, treasurer and manager, which positions he still occupies. 
He is thoroughly familiar with every phase of the lumber business 
and has demonstrated his thorough qualification for the line of work 
in which he is engaged. 

Mr. Alspaugh was married to Flora Lauckhart and they have 
become the parents of six children, namely: Finley, who is manager 
of the Edon Lumber Company, at Edon, this county; Arnold, who 
is now on his father’s farm in Mercer County, Ohio, is a veteran of 
the World war, having served with the 157th Aviation Squadron 
and spending two years in England and France; Ada is the wife of 
Wilber Smalley; Zelah is the wife of Randolph Shaffer; Ezra and 
Esther are at home. 

Mr. Alspaugh gives his support to the republican party, while, 
religiously, he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian Church, 
which he served as ruling elder at Rockford, Ohio, but they are now 
members of the English Lutheran Church, Stryker, Ohio. Fraternally, 
he is a member of Shanes Lodge, No. 377, Free and Accepted Masons, 
of which he is a past master; Celina Chapter, No. 120, Royal Arch 
Masons, and of Ivanhoe Commandery, No. 54, Knights Templar. 
His record is the story of a life whose success is measured by its use- 
fulness—a life that has made for good in all its relations with the 
world, and he therefore has richly merited the enviable position which 
he now enjoys in the community. 


68 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Roy E. Osertin.—A prominent and influential citizen of Brady 
Township, Roy E. Oberlin has been profitably engaged in general 
agriculture on section 30 for upwards of twenty years, owning and 
occupying one of the best improved and most desirable farms in this 
part of Williams County, it being advantageously located three miles 
northwest of Stryker. He was born, March 14, 1873, in Jefferson 
Township, Williams County, a son of Orlando Oberlin, and a grand- 
son of Jacob Oberlin, who settled in Jefferson Township in 1854, 
and on the farm which he reclaimed from its primeval wildness spent 
his remaining years. 

Born in Holmes County, Ohio, Orlando Oberlin was a small lad 
of eight summers when he came with his parents to Williams County, 
where he was bred and educated. Choosing the free life of a farmer, 
he located soon after his marriage on section 25, Jefferson Township, 
where his efforts in cultivating and improving a farm were well 
rewarded. Retiring from active labor in 1915, he has since lived in 
Bryan, his home being at No. 342 East Bryan Street. Patriotic and 
public spirited, he enlisted, in 1863, in the Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, and served as a soldier in the Civil war until the close of 
the conflict. He is a sound republican in politics, and a member of 
Bryan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

Orlando Oberlin married Althea Reid, who was born in Williams 
County, Ohio, a daughter of George Reid, who was an early pioneer 
of Jefferson Township, locating there in 1826, when he took up land 
from the Government, and with true pioneer courage cleared and 
improved a homestead. Two children were born of their marriage, 
as follows: Roy E., the subject of this brief sketch; and Theodore 
F., engaged in farming in Jefferson Township. 

Receiving his elementary education in the district schools, Roy E. 
Oberlin subsequently continued his studies at the Fayette Normal 
School for a year. Remaining beneath the parental roof-tree until 
twenty-three years of age, he taught school winters, and worked on 
the home farm through seed time and harvest for seven years. When 
ready to begin life on his own account, Mr. Oberlin purchased 135 
acres of land in Jefferson Township, and that he has met with such © 
unquestioned success in its management may well be attributed to his 
industry, agricultural skill and keen foresight. He is also actively 
interested in various enterprises, being vice president of the West 
Unity Bank, and one of its directors; president of the Northwestern 
Ohio Mutual Rodded Fire Insurance Company; and a director of 
the Farmers Elevator Company at Pulaski, and director of the Farm- 
ers Elevator Company at Stryker. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 69 


Mr. Oberlin married first, November 10, 1895, Lizzie Barkdoll, 
who died September 23, 1910, leaving three children, namely: Wayne, 
during the World war, is assistant cashier at the Stryker Bank; 
home; Willis, who was in the training camp at Denison University 
during the World War, is assistant cashier at the Stryker Bank; 
and Mercy, attending the Stryker High School. 

Mr. Oberlin married for his second wife, October 18, 1911, Cora 
E. Schnur, a native of Defiance County, Ohio, and they are the par- 
ents of two children, Eunice, born December 5, 1912; and Kenneth, 
born November 28, 1919. Politically Mr. Oberlin is identified with 
the republican party. Fraternally he is a member of Superior Lodge, 
No. 179, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at West Unity; 
of Bryan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; of the Encamp- 
ment: and of the Grand Lodge, of which he is past noble grand. He 
is likewise an active member of Springfield Grange No. 499. Mrs. 
Oberlin is a consistent member of the German Reformed Church. 


Guy Micnin.—The life of Guy Mignin, of Stryker, has been such 
as to elicit just praise from those who know him best, owing to the 
fact that he has always been true to every trust reposed in him and 
has been upright in his dealings with his fellow men, at the same time 
lending his support to the advancement of any cause looking to the 
welfare of the community at large. 

Guy Mignin was born in Stryker, Ohio, on March 30, 1881, and 
is the son of Frederick and Anna (Bostetter) Mignin, both of whom 
were natives of Springfield Township, Williams County, the father 
born in 1846 and the mother in 1856. Frederick Mignin was reared on 
the paternal farmstead and secured his education in the public schools. 
About the time he attained his majority he went to Chicago, where ; 
he obtained employment as a fireman on the Chicago, Rock Island & 
Pacific Railroad, that being during the period when wood was used 
almost exclusively on railroad engines in the West. Later he was 
employed for a year in a lumber yard at Chicago, and at the end of 
that time he returned to Williams County and engaged in the lumber 
business on his own account. At that time Mr. Mignin gave special 
attention to walnut lumber, which was very plentiful in this locality. 
He was successful in this enterprise, so that he was soon able to buy 
and remodel the sawmill, making it one of the best in this section of the 
state, and this mill has been in operation ever since in the manufacture 
of hardwood lumber. During the later years of his life he was in poor 
health, though he continued to look after the details of. his business 
affairs until within a few months of his death. At the time of his 


70 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


death he still owned enough standing timber to keep the mill running 
for several years. At the time of Mr. Mignin’s death, which occurred 
on August 22, 1911, the entire community suffered an irreparable 
loss, for he had been one of the sterling characters of the community 
and had enjoyed the highest degree of confidence and regard. A 
man of high moral character, unimpeacheable integrity, persistent 
_ industry and excellent business judgment, he stood “four square to 
every wind that blows,” and in all his business affairs his word was 
considered as good as his bond. 

Guy Mignin was reared in Stryker and educated in its public 
schools. In about 1898 he became identified with the lumber business, 
of which he assumed complete control on the death of his father. 
He also has general oversight of two farms which his father left 
in Springfield Township. Mr. Mignin gained invaluable business 
experience under his father and possesses those qualities which make 
for success. With a keen insight into trade conditions, and ener- 
getic in the handling of his products, he has been very successful in 
his management of the mill, while as a manager of the farms he has 
exhibited progressiveness and practical ideas which have stamped 
‘him as a man of versatile ability. 

Mr. Mignin was married to Mable Henning on March 18, 1903, and 
they have two children, Anna and Jeanne. Mrs. Mignin is a graduate 
of the Stryker High School, class of 1900, and she had taught for one 
‘year in the schools of Brady Township prior to her marriage. 

Fraternally, Mr. Mignin is a member of Evansport Lodge, No. 
511, Free and Accepted Masons; Bryan Chapter, No. 45, Royal Arch 
Masons; Defiance Commandery of Scottish Rite and Zenobia Temple, 
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Stryker 
Lodge, No. 432, Knights of Pythias, and he and his wife hold mem- 
bership in Evansport Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. 
Politically, Mr. Mignin has always given his support to the demo- 
cratic party. Because of his business ability and his splendid qualities 
of character, he enjoys to a pronounced degree the good will and 
esteem of all who know him. 


E. E. Vernier.—The recent controversy which has become wide- 
spread throughout the country in regard to the emoluments granted 
the educational profession is one that has established the fact that the 
interest taken in our educators is national and that regardless of the 
compensation which they receive their value to society is recognized 
and their worth in the development of future citizenship cannot be 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 71 


surpassed. In many intelligent communities the citizens have evi- 
denced their appreciation of the value of educators by elevating them 
to positions of public trust and responsibility, notably at Stryker, 
Ohio, where E. E. Vernier, a teacher for two decades and the incum- 
bent of the chair of mathematics in the Stryker High School, has 
been elected mayor of the city. 

Mayor Vernier was born on a farm in Springfield Township, Wil- 
liams County, September 5, 1883, a son of C. H. and Camilla (Gui- 
man) Vernier. His father, born in Springfield Township, December 
31, 1852, has been a resident of the rural districts all his life and 
still continues to be engaged in threshing work. He is a republican 
in his political views, and he and Mrs. Vernier, a native of Defiance 
County, Ohio, are members of the Plymouth Brethren faith. They 
are parents of four children: E. E.; Lendall, a conductor on the 
T. & I. Railroad; Asa, storekeeper at the car shops of that company ; 
and Blanche, a graduate of the Stryker High School and the Bowling 
Green Normal School, who is teaching in the public schools of Stryker. 

E. E. Vernier attended the district schools of Springfield Township 
and the Stryker High School, following which he took normal work 
- at the Ohio State University and Miami University. He began teach- 
ing in 1901, and after some experience in the rural districts began 
his work in the schools of Stryker in 1911, eventually being given the 
chair of mathematics in the Stryker High School. He was and is 
still known as one of the most capable and popular instructors this 
community has known and during his long experience as a molder of 
the minds of youth has formed many lasting friendships with parents 
and pupils, as well as with school officials and fellow educators. A 
republican in his political allegiance, he has long taken an interest in 
public affairs, and served as clerk of Stryker and Springfield town- 
ships for three terms. His official record in this position showed 
that he was of mayoralty timber, and November 4, 1919, he was the 
successful candidate for his party for the office of chief executive 
of Stryker, to which position he was elected by a gratifying majority. 
Mr. Vernier is fraternally affiliated with Stryker Lodge, No. 432, 
Knights of Pythias, of which he is past chancellor, while Mrs. Vernier 
belongs to the Pythian Sisters. Their religious connection is with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church and their pleasant home is located 
on North Defiance Street. 

Mayor Vernier married Miss Gertrude Juillard and they are the 
parents of two children, Vivienne May, born in 1910, and Robert 
Juillard, born in 1920. 


Vif HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


WittiAM H. Garpner has found in his native county ample scope 
and opportunity for successful business exploitation and is one of the 
representative figures in the mercantile circles of the county seat, 
where he is president of the Bryan Hardware Company. He is a 
member of a family whose name has been identified with the history 
of Williams County for more than three-fourths of a century and 
was born on the parental homestead farm, in Center Township, this 
county, August 10, 1860, a son of Moses and Jane (Taylor) Gardner, 
who were born and reared in Pennsylvania and whose marriage was 
there solemnized. In 1842 the parents came to Ohio and established 
their home on a pioneer farm in Center Township, where the father 
reclaimed much of his land from the native forest and where he con- 
tinued as a prosperous and influential exponent of agricultural indus- 
try until his death. He was a man of high principles and marked 
business acumen. He purchased land in the early days at a low 
price, and accumulated a large landed estate, which became very valu- 
able with the passing years. He was an active advocate and supporter 
of the principles of the democratic party and was one of the influen- 
tial and public spirited citizens of Center Township, of which he served 
as treasurer for a number of years. His devoted wife proved his 
able coadjutor in the achieving of independence and prosperity and 
their names merit a place of honor on the roster of the sterling pioneers 
of the county. Mr. Gardner died when about seventy-one years of 
age and his widow passed the closing period of her life at Bryan, 
where she died when about seventy-three years of age. Of their 
eight children three are living: Curtis D. is vice president of the 
Farmers National Bank of Bryan and is individually mentioned on 
other pages of this volume; William H., of this review, is the next 
younger, and Ira E. is a resident of the City of Toledo, this state; 
Mollie married Aaron Brannon and both are now deceased. 

The invigorating environment and activities of the old home farm 
compassed the boyhood and youth of William H. Gardner, and he 
continued to attend the public schools until he had completed school- 
ing in Farmers Center. That he made good use of these advantages is 
shown by the fact that he became a successful teacher and taught in 
the district schools during the winter terms for five years. He there- 
after became the owner of an excellent farm of eighty acres in Center 
township, and he erected good buildings on the place, besides making 
other high-grade improvements and adding forty acres to the area of 
his farm. He continued his active association with the basic industries 
of agriculture and stock growing for ten years, and in 1892 he removed 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 7 fs: 


with his family to Bryan, primarily for the purpose of giving his 
children the advantages of the excellent schools of this village. His 
is not the nature that enjoys inactivity, and he has found ample 
demands upon his time and attention in connection with the substan- 
tial business of the Bryan Hardware Company, of which he is presi- 
dent. He has been an active and loyal member of the Bryan Business 
Men’s Association and has given liberal support to its progressive 
policies and movements, which have proved specially potent in fur- 
thering the civic and industrial advancement of Bryan. Of this asso- 
ciation he served for a time as president. His political convictions 
are indicated by his unfaltering support of the cause of the demo- 
cratic party, he and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in their home city and he is serving as a member 
of its official board. Mr. Gardner is past master of the Bryan Lodge 
of Free and Accepted Masons, besides being affiliated also with the 
local chapter and council, and with the commandery of Knights Tem- 
plar at Defiance, the while both he and his wife are members of the 
Order of the Eastern Star. 

Mr. Gardner married Miss Blanche Tomlinson, who likewise was 
born and reared in Center Township, this county, and they have three 
children: Ethel, who was graduated in the Bryan High School and 
later in the Boston Conservatory of Music, has established and is 
successfully conducting a school of music in the State of Washington ; 
Walter T., who likewise was graduated in the Bryan High School, is 
now manager of the Bryan Motor Service Company and the Auburn 
Garment Company. He is high priest of the Bryan Chapter of Royal 
Arch Masons at the time of this writing, in the spring of 1920, and is 
also worthy patron of the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern 
Star. He married Miss Bessie Updyke, daughter of Emerson B. 
Updyke, a representative farmer near Bryan. Harry W., the younger 
son, is the active manager of the Bryan Hardware Company, of which 
his father is president, as already noted. He likewise continued his 
studies in the Bryan schools until his graduation in the high school, 
and both he and his brother are numbered among the progressive 
and popular young business men of their native county. He wedded 
Miss Alice Killits, whose father is presiding on the bench of the 
Federal District Court in the City of Toledo. 


Joun A. Leavy.—The subject of this sketch has spent practically 
his entire life in Williams County and his persistent and commendable 
efforts have benefited alike himself and the community, for he has 


74 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


always had deeply at heart the well being and improvement of the 
county, using his influence whenever possible for the promotion of 
enterprises of public benefit, besides taking a part in all movements 
for the advancement of the community along social, civic and moral 
lines. Consequently he richly merits the high standing which he enjoys 
among those who know him best. 

John A. Leavy, the well-known secretary and treasurer of the 
Stryker Building & Supply Company and ticket agent at Stryker for 
the New York Central Railroad Company, was born in Stryker on 
April 16, 1866, and is a son of Patrick and Helen (Fox) Leavy, both 
of whom were natives of Ireland. The father was born on May 1, 
1815, and died on June 21, 1911, at the advanced age of ninety-six 
years, while the mother, who was born on September 29, 1834, died 
on July 19, 1894, when almost sixty years of age. They were reared 
and married in their native land, and in 1852 came to the United 
States. He was employed at railroad work and on July 28, 1861, he 
located in Stryker, where he spent the remainder of his days. Though 
he was not a large wage earner, he was steady and industrious and 
wisely economical of his earnings and succeeded in buying a comfort- 
able home, where he and his wife spent their last years. He was an 
active member of the Catholic Church and took a leading part in 
advancing its interests in this community. He was a democrat in his 
political views. To him and his wife were born six children, four 
sons and two daughters, namely: Thomas, a resident of Archbold, 
Ohio, who for many years was employed in the railroad service ; 
Patrick, who lives in Coldwater, Michigan, is a conductor on the 
New York Central Railroad; Joseph is a telegraph operator for the 
Michigan Central Railroad Company at Albion, Michigan, Ellen‘is the 
wife of Thomas Retaiczak; John A. is the immediate subject of this 
review; Anna is the wife of D. J. Mattison. 

John A. Leavy was reared in Stryker and secured his educational 
training in its public schools. His first active employment was in the 
brick yard, where he worked for three summers. In the fall of 1883 
he began to learn telegraphy under Charles Elliott, and on June 15, 
1884, he entered the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
Railroad Company as telegraph operator. He was employed at dif- 
ferent places, including Englewood, Illinois. Later he, became con- 
nected with the New York Central at Stryker and in 1892 he was 
made manager of this office, which position he still retains. He has 
proven his qualifications for this responsible position and enjoys the 
fullest measure of confidence on the part of both the company and 
the patrons of the road. 


EMS TORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 75 


In addition to his duties in connection with the railroad, Mr. Leavy 
is otherwise interested in local commercial affairs, and was one of 
the organizers and is now part owner of the Stryker Building Supply 
Company, one of the prosperous and well-known enterprises of this 
town. He owns a comfortable and attractive residence property on 
the corner of South and Defiance streets, and other property. 

On May 7, 1901, Mr. Leavy was married to Maggie F. Knight, 
who was born in Bryan, Ohio, on November 7, 1869, and received 
her education in the public schools of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Religiously, Mr. Leavy is a member of the Roman Catholic Church 
at Stryker, while Mrs. Leavy belongs to the Universalist Church. 
Politically, Mr. Leavy has been a life-long and active supporter of 
the democratic party and has taken a keen and intelligent interest in 
local public affairs. He has served as township and village clerk for 
six years and as a member of the school board for three years. His 
life history exhibits a career of unswerving integrity, indefatigable 
industry and wholesome home relations, and because of his success 
and his sterling character he holds the confidence and esteem of the 
entire community. 


Wittiam Hawxins.—With indisputable evidence of culture and 
development on every hand, it seems a long way to look back to the 
time when Williams County called her settlers pioneers, but one of 
these, who is a veteran of the Civil war, William Hawkins, well 
remembers pioneer conditions when he came here in 1842. 

William Hawkins was born in Westchester County, New York, 
February 28, 1833. His parents were Joseph and Matilda (Crissy) 
Hawkins, who were natives also of Westchester County and were of 
English descent. When Mr. Hawkins was three years old he was 
taken to Fulton County, Ohio, and in 1842, when nine years old, came 
to Williams County. There were many of the usual hardships to 
endure in the newly settled township where he grew to manhood, and 
his school privileges were exceedingly limited. In 1861 he answered 
the first call of President Lincoln for soldiers to preserve the Union, 
enlisting in Company C, Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and 
served out his enlistment of 100 days; three of his brothers also serv- 
ing in the Union army. He did his duty as a soldier and then 
returned to the farm. 

In 1862 Mr. Hawkins was married to Kercilda Young, who was 
born in Bridgewater Township, Williams County, Ohio, February 23, 
1840, and they have two sons, Alpheus and Guy S. Alpheus Hawkins 


76 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


was reared on the home farm in Bridgewater Township and obtained 
his education as did his brother, in the public schools, and has always 
been a farmer. On February 18, 1886, he was married to Alice Miller 
and they have two children, Dale and Guy. Dale is a farmer in 
Bridgewater Township and married Naomi Fightner. His brother 
Guy attended the high school at Montpelier and is in the employ of 
the Wabash Railroad at this point. He married Alice Case. Both 
Dale and Guy belong to Montpelier Lodge No. 745, Odd Fellows, 
and Dale belongs also to the Encampment. Guy S. Hawkins, the 
second son of William Hawkins, is also a farmer in Bridgewater 
Township. Mr. Hawkins and both his sons have always voted the 
republican ticket. He has made his own way in the world, being poor 
when he came to Williams County, where for many years he worked 
industriously and exercised great economy. He now lives in comfort- 
able retirement and has a valuable farm of 160 acres situated in 
Bridgewater Township. He is known all through this part of the 
county and is held in universal esteem, being one of the county’s most 
venerable residents. 

He is a member of Hiram Lowden Post, Grand Army of the 
Republic, of Montpelier. 


MartTIN TROXEL for many years occupied a prominent place in the 
agricultural and civic affairs of Madison Township. While he recently 
sold his fine farm and removed to Hillsdale, Michigan, his influence 
and interest will not be lost to Williams County, where he was born 
and reared and has spent the most productive part of his life. 

Mr. Troxel was born three miles south of Pioneer on March 1, 
1866, son of Henry and Amanda (Grindle) Troxel. His parents 
were both born in Wayne County, Ohio, were married there and after 
their marriage moved to Williams County, settling in Madison Town- 
ship, where they spent the rest of their years. They were active mem- 
bers of the Church of God. Henry Troxel was an elder in that 
church. He was the only member of his family to vote as a republican. 
Of ten children six are still living: Leora, widow of Howard Dean; 
Harvey, of Mill Creek Township; Irvin, of Montpelier, Ohio; Martin, 
of Pioneer, Ohio; Jacob, of Toledo, Ohio; and Catherine, wife of 
Willis Crum, of Alvordton, Ohio. 

Martin Troxel grew up on the home farm in Madison Township 
and had a common school education. At the age of fourteen he began 
working for himself and had accumulated some small savings by the 
time he was twenty-one, only to see this modest capital swept away 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 77 


by misfortune. He therefore began life all over again. On September 
23, 1896, he married Miss Mamie Haviland, also a native of Madison 
Township, and educated in the common schools there. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Troxel made a living hauling logs and at other work, and 
finally bought a small property and in 1911 moved to his farm in 
Madison Township. He acquired seventy-four acres there and while 
he bought it for less than $75 an acre, the farm was well worth the 
$165 an acre for which he recently sold it. Mr. and Mrs. Troxel 
have three children: Claire, a successful truck driver in Government 
employ during the war; Darwin R., a graduate of the Pioneer High 
School; and Wilma, in the first year of her high school work. 
Mr. Troxel is a member of the Pioneer Grange, is a republican, and 
was trustee of Madison Township during 1918 and 1919. 


Wititram RitreNour—It is always pleasant and profitable to 
contemplate the career of a man who has made a success of life and 
won the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is the record 
of the well-known farmer whose name heads this sketch, than whom 
a more whole-souled or popular man it would be difficult to find within 
the limits of the township where he has his home. 

William Rittenour was born on the farm which he now owns, in 
Jefferson Township, on February 17, 1859, and is a son of George 
and Sarah (Hisey) Rittenour. George Rittenour was born in Ford’s 
Valley, Virginia, on July 10, 1819, and lived to the unusual age of 
almost ninety-eight years, dying on May 24, 1917. His wife was 
born in Virginia on January 24, 1822, and died on October 10, 1893. 
She was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Altdaffer) Hisey, by 
whom she was brought to Columbiana County, Ohio, when five years 
of age. When she was fourteen years old they moved to Richland 
County, Ohio, and at the age of seventeen years, on August 27, 1840, 
under the pastorate of Rev. S. Leiter, she united with the Reformed 
Church, of which she was ever after a faithful and earnest member. 
To George and Sarah Rittenour were born thirteen children, of which 
number eight are living, namely: Mary A., the wife of Lorenzo 
DeGroff; Arabelle, the widow of J. W. Jones; Sarah E., the wife of 
J. J. Young; Effie, the wife of Albert Knapp; Francis is married and 
lives in Portland, Oregon; George, of Tacoma, Washington ; William, 
the immediate subject of this review, and Arthur, who lives in West 
Unity, Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm in Jeffer- 
son: Township and received his educational training in the district 


78 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


schools. After his marriage he continued to reside on the home farm, 
the ownership of which he afterwards acquired, and he has continued 
to the present time to operate it. He carries on a general line of 
farming, together with which he gives attention to the raising of 
poultry. Thoroughly practical and progressive in his methods, he has 
gained a distinctive success in his work, and is numbered among the 
enterprising and substantial farmers of Jefferson Township: The 
farm, which comprises forty acres, is well improved in every respect 
and maintained at a high state of cultivation. 

On December 24, 1885, Mr. Rittenour was married to Ella M. 
Burns, who was born in Jefferson Township on August 29, 1866, the 
daughter of John and Diana (Smith) Burns. Her parents were both 
natives of Maryland, where the father was born on March 9, 1828; his 
death occurred on December 6, 1900. He and his wife were married 
on March 22, 1849, their union being blessed in the birth of thirteen 
children, eleven of whom are now living, namely: Angeline, Peter, 
Susie, Catherine, Edward, Victoria, Ella M., Jennie, Charles, Perry 
and Sadie, all of whom are married. Two children died in infancy. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Rittenour have been born three children, namely: 
Oscar W.; who volunteered for service and was sent to the Mexican 
border in the ambulance service, on his return being mustered out at 
Fort Sheridan. He then enlisted in the ambulance service and was 
sent overseas, serving in France for nine months; he now lives in 
Toledo, Ohio; Alva G., who lives in Toledo, Ohio, married Elva 
Kleinhaus; Orpha A. is unmarried and remains at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rittenour are members of the Reformed Church, 
Mr. Rittenour being a deacon in that society. He is an earnest repub- 
lican in his political'faith. He belongs to the Grange at Pulaski, of 
which he has served as chaplain. He is a stockholder in the Pulaski 
Grain Elevator Company and is known as a man who stands ready to 
give his support to every enterprise or movement looking to the 
advancement of the best interests of the community. Because of his 
succéss and his sterling qualities of character, he enjoys the unlimited 
confidence and esteem of all who know him. 


Byron W. Crarx.—Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the 
character of a citizen of the type of Byron W. Clark, of Springfield 
Township, Williams County, is all that is required to make a bio- 
graphical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name 
of the community, for it is the honorable reputation of the man of 
affairs and standing, more than any other consideration, that gives 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 79 


character and stability to the body politic. In the community where 
he has spent his life, Mr. Clark stands deservedly among his fellows, 
for he has ever stood for those things which are for the good of 
the community and his personal record is one of which he has no 
reason to be ashamed. 

Byron W. Clark, whose fine farm of eighty-two acres is situated 
about two miles south of Stryker, in’ Springfield Township, was born 
in this township on July 6, 1877, and he is the son of Austin F. and 
Mary (Woodward) Clark. These parents, who now reside in Stryker, 
are both also natives of the Buckeye State, the father having been born 
in Springfield Township on June 17, 1850, while the mother was born 
in Washington County on September 15, 1855. Austin Clark is a 
republican in his political views and has been active in local public 
affairs, having served as a member of the school board. To him and 
his wife were born eight children, of which number four are now 
living, namely: Byron W., the subject of this sketch; Cynthia, the 
widow of J. M. Rumbaugh; Harley, a farmer in Springfield Town- 
ship; Myron, a farmer in Springfield Township. 

Byron W. Clark spent his boyhood days on the homestead and 
secured his education in the district schools of Springfield Township. 
The home farm, which is now operated by the subject’s brother, is 
located about one and a half miles south of where he now lives. He 
remained at home until his marriage, in 1904, since which time he has 
been farming on his own account in section 16. He carries on a gen- 
eral line of farming, raising all the crops common to this locality, and 
also gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock, making 
a specialty of Ohio Improved Chester hogs and Shorthorn cattle, in 
the handling of which he has met with spendid success. His farm is 
well improved, the buildings being of a substantial and attractive 
character and the general appearance of the place indicating the owner 
to be a man of good taste and up-to-date ideas. 

On December 21, 1904, Mr. Clark was married to Lucile Barber, 
who was born in Springfield Township on January 20, 1883, the 
daughter of Levi and Minnie (Miller) Barber. She was reared here 
and educated in the district schools. Her parents are both natives 
of Ohio; her father being a native of Williams County and her 
mother, of Fulton County. To Mr. and Mrs. Clark has been born one 
child, Milbert B., who was born on November 4, 1905, and who is 
now a student in the Stryker High School. 

Politically. Mr. Clark is an earnest supporter of the republican 
party and takes an intelligent interest in local public affairs. He is a 


80 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


member of Springfield Grange No. 499, of which he is a past master. 
The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and persistent 
industry have been the key to his success and they have earned for 
him the unqualified respect and good will of all who know him. 


Witt1am Marcus Dunvap.—There could be no more compre- 
hensive history written of a city or county, or even of a state and its 
people, than that which deals with the life work of those who, by their 
own endeavor and indomitable energy, have placed themselves where 
they well deserve the title of “progressive,” and in this sketch will be 
found the record of one who has refused to be subdued by the 
obstacles and failures that come to everyone, but who has made them 
stepping stones to higher things, and at the same time that he was win- 
ning his way in the material affairs of life gained a reputation for 
uprightness and honor. 

William M. Dunlap, whose splendid farm of 97% acres is located 
in section 1 of Superior Township, was born on the farm where he 
now lives, on February 23, 1866, and is the only child born to the 
union of Andrew and Mary A. (Hoskinson) Dunlap. Andrew Dun- 
lap was born in Ireland in 1796 and in 1809 came with his parents 
to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania. Later they came to 
Columbiana County, Ohio, where he was reared to manhood and 
married. Afterwards he came to Williams County, settling first near 
Pulaski, where he bought land, but a year later he sold that place and 
bought the farm where his son now lives, and there he spent the 
remainder of his days, his death occurring in 1888. He and his wife 
were earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and took an 
active part in the support of all worthy interests of the community. 

William M. Dunlap was reared on the paternal farmstead and 
attended the district schools of that neighborhood. He remained with 
his parents and at the time of his father’s death he acquired his share 
and purchased the other heirs’ interest in the 97% acres of the home 
farm, and he has since applied himself to the operation of this farm 
with success. The place is well improved and is numbered among the 
most productive farms in the community, Mr. Dunlap being recognized 
as a farmer of mature judgment and untiring industry. 

On March 25, 1893, Mr. Dunlap was married to Della Fulton, the 
daughter of Fred H. and Malinda J. (Mott) Fulton. Her father was 
born in Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1839, and her mother in Jeffer- 
son Township, this county. Mr. Fulton came to Hancock County, 
Ohio, in 1843, residing there until August, 1860, when he came to 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 81 


Williams County. Here he was married and settled on a farm in 
Jefferson Township, where he lived continuously until his death March 
28, 1920. To him and his wife were born six children, namely: 
Cora, wife of Samuel Roush; Della, wife of the subject; Olive, 
the wife of Joseph Mocherman; Maurice O.; Ida, the wife 
of Christ Grabner; Pearl, unmarried, in Columbus. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Dunlap has been born a son, Harry F., born on January 16, 1896, 
who was educated in the district schools, graduating from the Mont- 
pelier High School in 1915. He is a veteran of the World war, having 
enlisted on May 25, 1918. He went overseas with the American 
Expeditionary Forces and was on the front line during the last months 
prior to the signing of the armistice, being afterwards sent on to 
Germany. He was finally ordered back to the United States and was 
mustered out on May 23, 1919. He is now at home with his parents. 
He is a member of the American Legion, and is also an active mem- 
ber of the Pleasant Hill Grange, being also a lecturer and overseer of 
the Williams County Pomona Grange. 

Mr. Dunlap is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, of which he is a past grand, and he and his wife are members 
of the Daughters of Rebekah, of which Mrs. Dunlap is a past grand. 
Politically, Mr. Dunlap gives his support to the republican party. He 
is a member and past master of Pleasant Hill Grange. He is a stock- 
holder and a member of the directorate of the Farmers and Mer- 
chants Bank of Montpelier. Whatever of success he has attained has 
been entirely owing to his individual efforts, his energy and natural 
ability. Through the years of his life here he has gradually attained 
a deserved prominence in his community and is eminently entitled to 
the high esteem which he enjoys among his fellow citizens. 


JoserpH M. Vat, manager of the Vail Cooperage Company at 
Bryan, in this connection exercises important executive function in 
the furtherance of the successful operations of one of the prominent 
industries of Williams County, and he is consistently to be designated 
as one of the progressive and representative business men of this 
favored section of the Buckeye State. 

Mr. Vail was born at Ossian, Indiana, October 27, 1862, and is a 
- son of Thomas and Martha (Shepard) Vail, both of whom were born 
in Ohio, where they were reared and educated, their marriage having 
been solemnized in Coshocton County, this state. Thomas Vail was a 
contractor in connection with the construction of the line of the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad through Indiana, and for a time was keeper of a 

Vol. II—6 


82 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


toll gate on the old toll road running south from Fort Wayne, that 
state. He finally established himself in a modest cooperage business 
at Ossian, Indiana, but later he assumed a contract in connection with 
the construction work on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, near 
Ossian. He continued to maintain his residence at that place until 
his death, and his widow was a resident of Decatur, Indiana, at the 
time of her death, in November, 1911. Concerning their children the 
following brief data are available: Solomon is now a resident of 
Washington, D. C.; Ephriam A. resides at Portland, Arkansas ; Ange- 
line is deceased; Elizabeth resides in the State of Missouri; John W. 
maintains his home at Decatur, Indiana; Joseph M. is the immediate 
subject of this sketch; Lucy is the wife of Daniel Spring, of Decatur, 
Indiana; and Aaron T. resides in the City of Fort Wayne and is con- 
nected with his brother Joseph in business. The parents were for sev- 
eral years residents of the State of Iowa, but on their return to 
Indiana re-established their home at Ossian. 

Joseph M. Vail gained his early education in the public schools of 
Indiana and Iowa, and in his youth he became actively associated with 
his father’s cooperage enterprise at Ossian. He became an expert 
workman as a cooper, and gained full experience in connection with 
all details of this line of industrial enterprise. He continued his resi- 
dence in Indiana until 1900, when he came to Bryan, Ohio, and estab- 
lished and equipped the present modern plant of the Vail Cooperage 
Company, of which he has since continued the executive head and 
efficient general manager, a large and substantial business having been 
developed under his careful direction of both manufacturing and com- 
mercial policies. Mr. Vail is a vigorous and progressive business man, 
is a republican in political allegiance and is affiliated with the Bryan 
Lodge of the Knights of Pythias. 

At Defiance, Ohio, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Vail to 
Miss Tena Nofsinger, and they have one daughter, Catherine, who was 
born January 20, 1911. 


M. M. Cameron.—Among the earnest and enterprising men whose 
depth of character has gained him a prominent place in the community 
and the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens, is M. M. 
Cameron, farmer and stock raiser of Jefferson Township. A man of 
decided views and laudable ambition, his influence has ever made for 
the advancement of his community and in the vocation to which his 
energies have been devoted through a long lapse of successful years 
he ranks among the successful farmers of the community. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 83 


M. M. Cameron, who operates a well cultivated and productive 
farm in section 23, Jefferson Township, about three and a half miles 
southwest of West Unity, was born in Tiffin Township, Defiance 
County, Ohio, on April 26, 1865, and is the son of Milton and Mary 
P. (Porter) Cameron. Milton Cameron was born in Wayne County, 
Ohio, but in boyhood was taken to Defiance County, where he was 
reared to manhood. His death occurred at Evansport, Ohio. He was 
an active supporter of the democratic party and served one term as 
trustee of Tiffin Township. To him and his wife were born two chil- 
dren, the subject of this review and an elder brother, Elmer P., who 
was born on August 13, 1855, and who died on March 4, 1874. 

M. M. Cameron was reared to manhood on the paternal homestead 
in Tiffin Township, Defiance County, and secured his elementary edu- 
cation in the district schools of that township, which he supplemented 
by attendance at the Valparaiso Normal School, at Valparaiso, Indiana. 
He remained on the farm for two years thereafter, and some time later 
he returned to the home farm. In 1910 he sold that place and in 
March of that year came to Williams County and bought the eighty 
acres of land which now comprises his excellent farm in section 23, 
Jefferson Township. This place is well improved in every respect, the 
buildings being of an attractive character and conveniently arranged, 
while the general appearance of the place indicates the owner to be a 
man of good judgment and excellent taste. Since coming here he has 
devoted himself closely to his’farm work, in connection with which he 
gives due attention to the raising of live stock, and in both of these 
lines he has met with satisfactory success. 

On November 18, 1886, Mr. Cameron was married to Alwilda _ 
Swank, who was born in Adams Township, Defiance County, Ohio, on 
November 6, 1876, and who was educated in the district schools and 
the Stryker High School. Their union has been blessed by the birth 
of two children, Arthur W. and Milton, the latter of whom married 
Florence Stipe and lives in Brady Township. Arthur W. Cameron, 
who was born on November 12, 1887, was in the United States service 
during the World war, having been sent first to Camp Taylor, and 
later transferred to camp at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, where 
he was discharged. 

Fraternally, M. M. Cameron is a member of Superior Lodge No. 
174, Free and Accepted Masons; Ensawaksa Chapter, Royal Arch 
Masons, and Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar. Arthur 
W. is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging 
to the lodge and encampment at Bryan. Politically, Mr. Cameron gives 


84 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


his support to the democratic party. He has been a close observer of 
modern methods and is a student at all times of whatever pertains to 
his life work, and he has therefore met with encouraging success all 
along the line. Because of his success and his sterling qualities of 
character, he well merits the enviable position wities he holds in the 
estimation of his fellow citizens. se 


Epwarp FRApPIER is one of the principals in the progressive firm 
which has developed at Bryan a substantial and well ordered business 
enterprise under the title of the Bryan Ice & Ice Cream Company, the 
plant and service of which are of the best modern standard. 

Mr. Frappier was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, March 26, 
1867, and, as the name indicates, the lineage on the paternal side traces 
back to French origin. He is a son of Francis and Melisse (Merou) 
Frappier, both of whom were born and reared in the Dominion of 
Canada, where their marriage was-solemnized and where nine of their 
children were born. In 1866 they came to Ohio and established their 
home in Trumbull County, where the death of the mother occurred 
in 1871, the father having subsequently contracted a second marriage. 
He whose name initiates this sketch was about four years old at the 
time of his mother’s death, and after his father’s second marriage he 
remained at the paternal home until he was a lad of about eight years, 
when he was virtually thrown upon his own resources. He thus began 
productive work when a mere boy, and“he managed to attend school 
at intervals, both in Ohio and Michigan, to which latter state he went 
when he was about seventeen years of age. There he was employed at 
farm work until he was nineteen years old, when he purchased a 
stump-puller and with the same established an independent business 
enterprise. He operated this machine six seasons, and thereafter was 
engaged in the draying business. four years, besides which he did a 
minor but profitable contracting business. He finally sold his draying 
business in Michigan, and he passed the following year at Decatur, 
Indiana, whence, in 1896, he came to Williams County, Ohio, where his 
energy and ability enabled him to find profitable employment of varied 
kinds. He finally purchased a hay-baler, and this he successfully 
operated until he turned his attention to contracting. With this latter 
enterprise Mr. Frappier continued his active association until April, 
1916, when he formed a partnership with O. W. Gleason and estab- 
lished’ the business which has since been conducted under the title of 
the Bryan Ice & Ice Cream Company. This concern handles ice both 
at wholesale and retail and the same functions apply in connection 


—— 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 85 


with its manufacturing of ice cream of the highest grade. The busi- 
ness has been developed to substantial volume and is one of no little 
relative importance in the capital city of Williams County. The firm 
also has modern facilities for the moving of buildings and for the 
execution of excavation and concrete work, and a substantial contract- 
ing business is controlled in these lines. Mr. Frappier has been in the 
most significant sense the architect of his own fortunes, and the success 
which he has achieved is thus the more pleasing to note. His political 
support is given to the republican party and he takes loyal interest in 
the welfare and advancement of his home community. 

In 1900 Mr. Frappier wedded Miss Patti Stevens, who was born 
and reared at Bryan and who was graduated from the high school. 
Mr. and Mrs. Frappier have five children—Leroy, Pauline, Dorothy, 
Jo and Frances. 


Horace D. Boynton.—The true measure of individual success is 
determined by what one has accomplished, and, as taken in contradis- 
tinction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in 
his own country, there is a particular interest attached to the career 
of the subject of this review, since he is a native son of Williams 
County, where his entire life has been passed, and he has so directed 
his ability and efforts as to gain recognition as one of the representa- 
tive farmers and stock raisers of the county, as well as one of its most 
public-spirited citizens. 

Horace D. Boynton, proprietor of Fairview Stock Farm, in Pulaski 
Township, one-half mile east of Pulaski, was born on the farm which 
he now owns, on December 11, 1869,-and is a son of Charles and 
Catherine (Kennedy) Boynton, the latter of whom was born in Ash- 
land County, Ohio. Charles Boynton was born in the State of Maine, 
whence he came to Williams County when about seven years of age, 
with his father, A. W. Boynton, who entered land here and also ran 
a store in Pulaski. He was active in political affairs of the county and 
served two terms as a member of the Board of County Commissioners 
of Williams County. His son, Charles, was reared in Pulaski, attended 
the district schools and assisted his father in the store. At that time 
their goods was freighted by ox team from Toledo, and the subject 
of this sketch has in his possession two of the yokes used then. After 
leaving the store, he returned to the farm. After his marriage he 
began keeping house where the subject of this sketch now lives, and 
where he spent the remainder of his days. He was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church and served on its official board. In poli- 


86 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY . 


tics he was a republican. He was successful in his business affairs 
and, besides general farming, he was a successful breeder of Short- 
horn cattle. To him and his wife were born five children, namely: 
Alpheus, who is an oil-well driller in California; Herman, who runs 
a music store and sewing machine agency in Bryan; Horace D., the 
immediate subject of this sketch; Dora, the wife of Edwin Reed, of 
Bryan; and Josephine, who lives in Bryan. 

Horace D. Boynton was reared on the paternal farmstead and 
secured his education in the public schools of Pulaski. He has always 
followed farming and stock raising and has been successful in both 
lines. He is the owner of 146 acres of land, in addition to which he 
also farms 120 acres belonging to his mother. He has given special 
attention to the breeding and raising of Shorthorn cattle, Hampshire 
hogs and grade horses. His herd of cattle is headed by “Elmherst 
Stamp,” which was shown in six county fairs in 1919, winning many 
ribbons, and two other members of the herd have not been defeated. 
Mr. Boynton is a director of the Farm Bureau of Pulaski Township, 
being a member of the state organization, and he is also a director of 
the Williams County Fair Association. 

Mr. Boynton was married to Josephine Knipe, who was born and 
reared in Fulton County, Ohio, and to them have been born two 
children, Charles and Hubert, both of whom are attending school. 

Politically, Mr. Boynton gives his support to the republican party. 
Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, hold- 
ing. membership in the Blue Lodge, the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, 
the Council of Royal and Select Masters, and Defiance Commandery 
No. 31, Knights Templar. He has, through the exercise of good judg- 
ment, energetic efforts and sound business ability, gained not only a 
gratifying prosperity, but also the confidence and high regard of all 
who know him. 


Harry W. Wertz, M. D.—It is not always easy to discover and 
define the hidden forces that move a life of ceaseless activity and large 
professional success; little more can be done than to note their mani- 
festation in the career of the individual under consideration. Doctor 
Wertz has long held distinctive prestige in a calling which requires 
for its basis sound mentality and rigid professional training and 
thorough mastery of technical knowledge with the skill to apply the 
same, without which one cannot hope to rise above the mediocre in 
administering to human ills. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 87 


Harry W. Wertz, a successful physician and surgeon and the 
founder and owner of the Wertz Hospital at Montpelier, is a native 
son of Williams County, having been born in Superior Township on 
June 6, 1869, the son of Henry and Alice (Lambertson) Wertz. His 
parents are both natives of Ohio. After their marriage they first 
engaged in farming and later engaged in the grocery business. Doctor 
Wertz was reared on the home farm and attended the public schools, 
being a student in both the Bryan and Montpelier high schools. 
Having determined to devote his life to the practice of medicine, he 
then matriculated in the Kentucky School of Medicine, at Louisville, 
where he was graduated, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 
1890, at the age of twenty-one. Immediately thereafter he located in 
the practice at Montpelier, success attending him from the start. 
Doctor Wertz made a specialty of surgery and enjoyed a large prac- 
tice in that line. In 1910 he opened a hospital, which filled a long-left 
want in this community, and in 1916 he made still further improvement 
in his hospital facilities by establishing himself in his present loca- 
tion, at No. 315 Empire Street, where he is prepared to care for any 
case that may be brought to him. In analyzing the career of the suc- 
cessful practitioner of the healing art, it will invariably be found to 
be true that a broad-minded sympathy with the sick and suffering and 
an honest, earnest desire to aid his afflicted fellow men, have gone 
hand in hand with skill and able judgment. Doctor Wertz embodies 
these necessary qualifications in a marked degree and by energy and 
application to his professional duties has built up an enviable reputa- 
tion and drawn to himself a large and representative patronage. 

Doctor Wertz has one son, Selwyn, who is connected with the 
Foundation Company, which has done a great deal of big construc- 
tion work in various parts of the country. During the World war 
Doctor Wertz offered his services to the Government and was attached 
to the medical department, with the rank of captain, being assigned to 
duty at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He is at the’ present time surgeon 
for the Wabash Railroad Company, and is a member of the Williams 
County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the 
American Medical Association, as well as the Association of Military 
Surgeons of the United States. 

Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic Order, in which he has 
taken all the degrees up to and including those of the commandery 
of Knights Templar, and he is also a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows and the American Legion. Politically, he is a 
democrat. In addition to his long and creditable carzer in one of the 


88 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


most useful and exacting of professions, Doctor Wertz has also proved 
an honorable member of the body politic, rising in the confidence and 
esteem of the public and commanding respect by innate force as well 
as by superior ability. Genial in disposition, Doctor Wertz is popular 
in the circles in which he moves and enjoys the sincere respect of the 
entire community 


Joun M. Hopson.—When a man holds membership in the different 
societies having as their purpose the welfare of the community he is 
always a useful citizen. John M. Hodson, of Spring Brook. Stock 
Farm in Bridgewater Township, living about six miles northeast of 
Montpelier, is a community man, active in all movements having as 
their purpose the betterment of farm life and agriculture. Mr. Hod- 
son was born February 28, 1879, on this farm, and is a son of Job and 
Sarah E. (Hill) Hodson. The father was born in Richland County, 
while the mother came from Noble County, Indiana. They had four 
children: Edwin T. Hodson, of New Mexico; John M., who enrolls 
the family in the annals of Williams County; Ruth, who is the wife 
of A. J. Buclen; and James R. Hodson, of Montpelier. 

John M. Hodson supplemented his common school education with 
high school training at Pioneer, and in 1898 he had the short course 
in agriculture in the University of Wisconsin. While there he spe- 
cialized in dairy work and he established a co-operative creamery 
plant at Spring Brook Farm upon his return to Williams County. For 
two years he operated the creamery with his brother and then for five 
years he managed the business alone. Mr. Hodson is a breeder of 
Jersey cattle and still operates a dairy business although on a smaller 
scale and alone. 

Mr. Hodson is an active member of Pomona Grange and in all 
farmer organizations. He has been president of the Farmers’ Short 
Course School Extension or Farmers’ Institute at Montpelier. He is 
serving his third year as president of the Williams County Agricul- 
tural Association. He has been a member of the board of directors 
for five years. He is vice president of the Williams County Farm 
Bureau, and always interested in the better methods of agriculture. 
Mr. Hodson is a member of the Williams County Board of Edu- 
cation, and president of the Northern Ohio, Michigan and Indiana 
Fair circuit. 

On Christmas Day of the century year Mr. Hodson married Mabel 
Gerding, of Wood County. Their children are: Maurine, a 1920 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 89 


graduate of the Montpelier High School, and Richard J., who is still 
a school boy. Mr. Hodson is a member of Montpelier Lodge No. 
542, Free and Accepted Masons, and Mrs. Hodson is a member of 
Lillian Chapter, No. 44, Order of the Eastern Star. She is a Pres- 
byterian. Mr. Hodson is a democrat and active in political circles in 
Williams County. He is an active member of the Co-operative Busi- 
ness Association of Montpelier and surrounding country. 


H. J. Wineranp.—The life of H. J. Wineland, farmer and stock 
raiser of Jefferson Township, Williams County, has been such as to 
elicit just praise from those who know him best, owing to the fact 
that he has always been true to the trusts reposed in him and has been 
upright in his dealings with his fellow men, at the same time lending 
his support to the advancement of any cause looking to the welfare 
of the community at large. 

H. J. Wineland, whose splendid eighty-acre farm is located in sec- 
tion 23, Jefferson Township, about six and a half miles northeast of 
Bryan, was born in the township now honored by his citizenship on 
October 13, 1873, and is the son of Daniel and Louisa (Fenimore) 
Wineland. Daniel Wineland was born in Blair County, Pennsylvania, 
on October 11, 1840, and went from there to Knox County, Ohio, in 
childhood, coming to Williams County when a young man. His wife 
was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, on January 22, 1843, and was 
taken from there to Logan County, this state, and thence to Williams 
County, where occurred her marriage to Daniel Wineland. To their 
union were born four children, of whom three are living, namely: 
Jennie, the wife of I. A. Geddings, of Jefferson Township; Mabel, 
the wife of John Green, of Jefferson Township, and H. J., the subject 
of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Wineland were faithful members of the 
German Reformed Church and in politics Mr. Wineland gave his 
support to the democratic party. 

H. J. Wineland was reared to manhood on the parental farmstead 
in Jefferson Township and secured a good practical education in the 
common schools. He has never forsaken the vocation to which he 
was reared and has been successful as a farmer and stock raiser, being 
numbered among the progressive and up-to-date men of his township. 
His farm in section 23 comprises eight acres of land, which is main- 
tained at a high state of cultivation, producing all the crops common 
to this locality. Mr. Wineland also gives some attention to the raising 
of live stock, in which he has met with success. He is also a stock- 
holder in the Pulaski Grain Elevator Company. 


90 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


On June 16, 1894, Mr. Wineland was married to Cora Zigler, and 
to their union was born a daughter, Ruth, on November 20, 1898, 
and who graduated from the West Unity High School with the class 
of 1918. Mrs. Wineland died on February 24, 1903, and on June 16, 
1904, Mr. Wineland was married to Rose Lafferty, the daughter of 
John L. Lafferty, her birth having occurred in Richland County, Ohio, 
where she was reared and educated. To them have been born three 
children, namely: Hugh, born on January 17, 1906; Eva, born Decem- 
ber 15, 1907, and Evaline, born February 14, 1914. 

Politically, Mr. Wineland gives his earnest support to the democratic 
party and has taken an active interest in local public affairs. He 
served one term as assessor of Jefferson Township, and by a life of 
public-spirited effort for the public welfare, he has earned the con- 
fidence and good will of all who know him. 

John L. Lafferty, father of Mrs. Rose Wineland, was a veteran 
of the Civil war, having enlisted as a private in Company H, Fifty- 
Ninth Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, with which command . 
he took part in many of the most important battles of that great strug- 
gle, including Gettysburg, Kettle Run, Bristow Station, Mine Run, 
and others, and was so fortunate as to escape without a wound. He 
was mustered out on March 15, 1865, after exactly three years of 
service. He died October 16, 1918. 


Jacos A. Faser.—lIt is a well authenticated fact that success comes 
as a result of legitimate and well applied energy, unflagging deter- 
mination and perseverance in a course of action when once decided 
upon. In tracing the history of the influential farmer and representa- 
tive citizen whose name introduces this review, it is plainly seen that 
the prosperity which he enjoys has been won by commendable qualities 
and it is also his personal worth that has gained for him the high 
esteem of those who know him. 

Jacob A. Faber, proprietor of the Wild Rose Farm, in Pulaski 
Township, comprising 170 acres of excellent land, and which is located 
abotit one mile east of Pulaski, was born on an adjacent farm on July 
4, 1862, and he is the son of Jacob and Mary (Fehleman) Faber. His 
father was born in Alsace-Lorraine in 1834, and came to the United 
States at the age of sixteen years. He first located in Portage County, — 
Ohio, whence he came to Williams County, locating in Pulaski 
Township, where he spent the remainder of his days. He was married 
to Mary Fehleman, who was born in Berne, Switzerland, in 1823, and 
to their union were born seven children, of whom five are living, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 91 


namely: Henry; Caroline, wife of C. J. Bowman; Jacob A., subject 
of this sketch; Dr. C. A., of Toledo, Ohio, and W. R., also of Toledo. 
Deceased are Fred and Mary. The father was a stanch supporter of 
the democratic party and a man of influence in his community. 

Jacob A. Faber was reared on his father’s farm and secured his 
educational training in the district schools of his home neighborhood. 
He remained. on the home farm until he had attained his majority, 
when the farm came into his possession and he has since devoted his 

- sole attention to its operation. He has been successful in his opera- 

tions, for he is thoroughly practical and up-to-date in his methods, 
and is numbered among the progressive farmers of his section of the 
county. In addition to the cultivation of the soil, Mr. Faber also gives 
attention to the feeding of Polled Angus cattle, which he generally 
buys and ships in carloads. He is also a stockholder in the Pulaski 
grain elevator. He takes a keen interest in the general upbuilding of 
the community in which he lives and supports every movement that 
promises to result in the advancement of the public welfare. 

Mr. Faber gives his earnest support to the democratic party and has 
been actively interested in public affairs, especially as relating to local 
matters. He is the present efficient trustee of Pulaski Township. 
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is 
active, being a trustee and member of the official board. Fraternally, 
he is a member of Bryan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Bryan 
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Bryan Council, Royal and Select Mas- 
ters, and Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, and he also 
is a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic 
Shrine, at Toledo. 

On November 17, 1887, Mr. Faber was married to Mary E. 
Smith, who was born and reared in Brady Township, this county, and 
they are the parents of two children, Celia, a graduate of the Bryan 
High School and the wife of E. C. Chumley, of Toledo, Ohio, and 
Frieda, born in 1905, who is now a student in the high school at 
Toledo. Though a busy man in his own business affairs, Mr. Faber 
has not neglected his duties to his community and his friends and, 
because of his public spirit and fine personal qualities, he is deservedly 
popular throughout the community where he has spent his entire life. 


FRANK CopeLaNpD.—It has been the privilege of Frank Copeland, 
of Superior Township, to live where he was born July 3, 1881, three 
miles south of Montpelier. He is a son of James J. and Susan B. 
(Waltz) Copeland; the father born born January 14, 1832, in Colum- 


92 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


biana County, and the mother a native of Maryland. Both families 
came to Defiance County where they met and were later married and 
they located in Williams County. 

There were eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Copeland, 
and six of them were living when Frank Copeland narrated the 
family history. G. M. Copeland. lives in Detroit; Nettie is the 
wife of Elmer Campbell; Belle is the wife of R. J. Kyes; Frank 
of this sketch; Alta is the wife of T. O. Myers, and Charles is in 
Detroit. The Copeland children all had common school advantages 
and some of them went to high school, and Frank Copeland has con-_ 
tinued farming, having bought the family homestead from the others. 

In 1901, Frank Copeland married Belle Shasteen, of Superior 
Township, and their children are: Leota B., Lilah, Ralph and Mar- 
jorie. As they graduate from common school they are given high 
school education. The Copelands are Presbyterians and Mr. Cope- 
land is a member of the official board, serving in the capacity of trustee. 
He is a member of Superior Lodge No. 269, Knights of Pythias, and 
of the Montpelier Grange. He is a breeder of Oxford sheep and 
Chester White hogs. Mr. Copeland is treasurer of the Williams 
County Argicultural Society. He is abreast of the times in agriculture. 


Lyman O. Coox.—The record of Mr. Cook is that of a man who 
by his own unaided efforts worked his way from a modest beginning 
to a position of affluence and influence in the agricultural and busi- 
ness world. His life has been characterized by unceasing industry 
and perseverance and the systematic and honorable methods which he 
has followed have won him the unbounded confidence of his fellow 
citizens of Williams County. 

Lyman O. Cook, owner of Meadow View Farm, located in section 
27, Jefferson Township, was born in this county on November 8, 1881, 
and is the son of William and Rosanna (Critchfield) Cook; the former 
a native of Richland County, Ohio, and the latter of Williams County. 
William Cook came to Williams County in young manhood and after 
his marriage here he settled on a farm in Jefferson Township, where 
he remained about a year. The following two years were spent in 
Indiana, after which he returned to Williams County and settled on 
a farm, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1901. He 
is survived by his widow, who lives in West Unity. They were active 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in West Unity, to which 
Mrs. Cook still belongs. Mr. Cook gave his political support to the 
democratic party and was active in local public affairs, having served 
one term as to.nship trustee. During the Civil war, he served two 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 93 


years in defense of the Union, receiving an honorable discharge at 
the close of that conflict. To him and his wife were born five children, 
namely: Vernon A., deceased; May, the wife of F. A. Bowers, of 
Toledo, Ohio; William A., of West Unity, Ohio; Aquilla M., who lives 
in Arizona; Lyman O., the subject of this review. . 

Lyman O. Cook was reared in Williams County and secured his 
education in the district schools. He remained at home, assisting his 
father, until he had attained his majority, when he was married and 
engaged in farming on his own account. He has been successful in all 
his operations and his farm is today considered one of the best and 
most productive in the township. In addition to a general line of 
farming, Mr. Cook gives considerable attention to the breeding and 
raising of live stock, in which his success has been most marked. He 
specializes in pure-bred Holstein cattle and pure-blooded Chester 
White hogs, the latter herd being headed by “Bryan’s Pride,” an 
unusually well bred and valuable animal. His farm comprises eighty 
acres of excellent land, well adapted to the purposes to which it is 
devoted. Mr. Cook is also a stockholder and secretary of the Farmers 
Grain Elevator Company at Pulaski. 

On November 25, 1903, Mr. Cook was married to Carrie Baird, 
who was born and reared in Pulaski Township, Williams County, and 
they are the parents of two sons, Wayne and Lawrence. Mr. and 
Mrs. Cook are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
Pulaski, of which society Mr. Cook is a member of the board of 
trustees. He is a democrat in his political views. He is a member of 
the Pulaski Grange, a member of the board of directors of the Wil- 
liams County Farm Bureau and secretary of the Pulaski Farmers 
Institute. He is essentially public-spirited in his attitude towards all 
movements for the advancement of the general welfare. In all that 
constitutes true manhood and good citizenship is a good example, his 
career having been characterized by duty faithfully performed, and 
by industry, thrift and wisely directed effort. Because of these ele- 
ments of character, he is deservedly popular throughout the community. 


- Hartey F. CLrarxK.—The true measure of individual success is 
determined by what one has accomplished, and, as taken in contradis- 
tinction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in 
his own country, there is particular interest attached to the review of 
the subject of this sketch, since he is a native son of Williams County, 
where his entire life has been passed, and has so directed his ability 
and efforts as to gain recognition as one of the worthy citizens of 
Springfield Township. 


94 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Harley F. Clark was born on the farm on which he now lives in_ 
Springfield Township, Williams County, on December 2, 1890, and is 
the son of Austin F. and Mary (Woodward) Clark, both of whom 
are now residents of Stryker. These parents are both natives of 
Ohio, the former born in Springfield Township, Williams County, on 
June 17, 1850, and the latter, near Marietta, in Washington County, 
on September 15, 1856. Austin F. Clark has always been an active 
supporter of the republican party and has taken a keen interest in 
local public affairs, being a member of the school board. To him and 
his wife were born eight children, namely: Edith, the wife of Frank 
Lenobrink ; Byron W., of Springfield Township; Cynthiana, the widow 
of Jacob Rumbaugh; Mary, the wife of Adolph Buehrer; Rosa died 
at the age of three years; Roxanna died at the age of twenty-three 
years; Harley F., the subject of this sketch; Austin M., who is a 
graduate of the common schools, enlisted during the World’s war 
and was at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio. 

Harley F. Clark spent his boyhood days on the home farm and 
received his education in the district schools. He has never forsaken 
the vocation to which he was reared and has been more than ordinarily 
successful as a farmer. He is now the owner of 120 acres of the old 
home farm, which he is devoting to the raising of general crops and 
to the breeding and raising of live stock. He gives special attention 
to registered Percheron horses, Shorthorn cattle and Ohio Improved 
Chester hogs, his herd of cattle being headed by “Mins’s Champion,” 
an exceptionally fine animal, of which Mr. Clark is justifiably proud. 
He has maintained his farm at a high standard of excellence in the 
way of improvements and fertility, and is looked upon as an enter- 
prising and progressive man in his line of effort. 

On November 2, 1912, Mr. Clark was married to Stella Ziegler, 
who was born in Fulton County, Ohio, and graduated from the com- 
mon schools. To their union were born three children, Leland, Hope 
and Morris. Mr. Clark gives his support to the republican party and 
his co-operation can always be counted upon in the advancement of the 
best interests of the community in any way. Because of his business 
ability and his splendid personal character, he enjoys the unlimited 
confidence and regard of the entire community. 


Cuartes L. Bowen.—The agricultural importance of Williams 
County has long been recognized, and at the present time, when farm 
production is one of the urgent needs of the nation, there are experi- 
enced and progressive men in this line of work who are fully main- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 95 


taining the county’s old prestige. One of these, who is a foremost 
citizen of Bridgewater Township, is Charles L. Bowen, a prosperous 
farmer and stockman, who owns the old Bowen homestead, situated 
three miles north of Montpelier. 

Mr. Bowen’s ancestors came to Ohio at a very early day and both 
his parents, Robert and Rebecca (Cline) Bowen, were born in Rich- 
land County. They were reared and married there, then moved to 
Williams County and spent their last years at Montpelier. They were 
active members of the United Brethren Church. The father was a 
soldier in the Civil war during its closing eighteen months, and as 
long as he lived was a valued member of Hiram Lowden Post, Grand 
Army of the Republic. He was a man of sterling character, was a 
strong republican in his political convictions and frequently was 
elected to local offices. To Robert and Rebecca Bowen six children 
were born, namely: Leonard, who is a resident of Montpelier, Ohio; 
Charles L.; Bert H., who is in business at Mobile, Alabama; Elmer, 
whose interests are at Coldwater, Michigan; O. H., who lives at 
Montpelier; and Ella M., who is the wife of Cyrus Pierce. 

Charles L. Bowen attended the district schools in boyhood and 
remained with his father on the old farm until he reached manhood 
and in later years acquired the homestead. He has 140 acres of valu- 
able land, well watered and favorably situated as to transportation. 
For a number of years he has mainly devoted himself to raising Short- 
horn cattle and breeding Poland China hogs, his enterprise in this and 
other directions, adding to his reputation as a substantial and farsee- 
ing business man. Mr. Bowen has additional interests and is one of 
the directors of the Montpelier National Bank. 

In 1898 Mr. Bowen was married to Miss Clara Allman, who was 
born in Superior Township, Williams County, Ohio, November 12, 
1876, and is a daughter of John Allman, who was a substantial farmer 
of that township, in which Mrs. Bowen was reared and educated. 
Mr. and Mrs. Bowen have three children, namely: Ethel R., who is 
a graduate of the Montpelier High School; Robert R., who is doing 
well as an eighth grade student; and Clarence C., who is also making 
satisfactory headway in his studies; all of the children being unusually 
intelligent and studious. The family belongs to the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church at Bridgewater, Mr. Bowen being one of the church trus- 
tees. In his political attitude he has always been a republican, believing 
firmly in the fundamental principles of that party, and as a sound, 
reliable citizen, exerts considerable influence in local affairs. He is a 
member of the Grange at Bridgewater. 


96 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ZepH Lees.—While capitalists are rare at Edon, Ohio, yet many 
business enterprises flourish here, this city is proud of the fact that 
it has not proved attractive to speculators, but that fortunes enjoyed 
here have in the main been earned by their owners through honest, 
persevering effort along legitimate lines. This fact speaks well for 
stable conditions here, indicating a class of careful, thrifty, prudent 
business men of superior judgment. Such a man was Zeph Lees, who 
was vice president of the Edon State Bank. 

Zeph Lees was born April 20, 1848, on a farm in Florence Town- 
ship, Williams County, Ohio, lying one mile south and a quarter mile 
east of Edon. His parents were Hugh and Catherine (Delargy) Lees, 
both of whom were born at Belfast, Ireland. They grew up there 
and were married in Ireland, after which they came to the United 
States, landed at old Castle Garden, New York City. Hugh Lees 
found employment in New York and they remained there for two 
years, then came to Ohio and finally settled on a rented farm in Flor- 
ence Township, Williams County. The time came when Hugh Lees 
owned 200 acres of land but at first he had to invest carefully and 
labor hard, sometimes working for 25 cents a day. Without help he 
cleared and cultivated many acres and as soon as his sons grew old 
enough they gave him assistance, Zeph, the oldest, remaining with his 
father until he was twenty-four years old. He and his wife were 
members of the Presbyterian Church. Of their eleven children, there 
were the following living in 1920: Elizabeth, who is the widow of 
David Metzler, of Huntington, Indiana; Mary, who is the wife of 
Henry Stuller, of Edgerton; Murvin, who lives at Edon; Elmer, who 
lives at Edon; Willis, who lives at Elkhart, Indiana; and Edson, who 
lives in Florence Township. 

Zeph Lees remembered the early days on his father’s farm and of 
the real hardships that settlers at that time had to endure. He was a 
good son and remained at home as long as his help was necessary, in 
the meanwhile obtaining a district school education. When he came 
to Edon he went into the hauling business and carted goods or com- 
modities to and from Edon and Edgerton, keeping at that business 
for seven years. About that time he began to buy and ship cattle 
and so continued for thirty-five years. He was vice president of the 
Edon State Bank and a director, the other members of the directing 
board being: Charles A. Bowersox, E. F. Brandon, Charles Allumong, 
G. C. Mauerhan, Jr., Nicholas Hauser and Elias Estrich. 

On May 26, 1873, Mr. Lees was married to Miss Amanda McCrory, 
who was born at Auburn, in Dekalb County, Indiana, April 14, 1849. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 97 


She was young when she accompanied her parents to Williams County. 
No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lees. They have been very 
active members of the Christian Church and the Sunday school and 
he has long been a church trustee. For many years he was an Odd 
Fellow and was past noble grand of the lodge at Edon. During a 
long and active life he saw much of politics and was always inter- 
ested as a good citizen. Very many years ago he united with the 
republican party and continued to adhere to that political organization. 


Hiram E. Batrerson.—The general public has ever taken great 
pleasure in tracing the history of a man who started on life’s career 
handicapped in many ways, but who, notwithstanding innumerable 
obstacles, pushed forward manfully and finally reached the goal of 
success set before him. The career of the widely-known and public- 
spirited citizen whose name appears above affords an impressive exam- 
ple of what energy, directed and controlled by correct principles, can 
accomplish in overcoming an unfavorable start and lifting its possessor 
from a comparatively humble origin to a position of usefulness and 
independence. 

Hiram E. Batterson, whose fine farm of 119 acres is located in 
section 26, Jefferson Township, was born in Steuben County, Indiana, 
on July 17, 1864, and he is the son of Martin V. and Julia A. 
(Miller) Batterson. The condition of the family exchequer was such 
that he was denied many of the advantages desirable in youth and at 
twelve years of age he was thrown upon his own resources. There- 
fore his educational facilities were at that time exceedingly limited, 
though in a large sense this deficiency has been made up during the 
subsequent years by habits of intelligent reading and close observation 
of men and events. He worked faithfully and steadily at whatever 
he could find to do during this period and conscientiously saved every 
cent which he could possibly spare above his actual necessities, for 
he was ambitious. His first real stride forward was when he entered 
the normal school at Fayette, Fulton County, Ohio, where he pre- 
pared himself for the teaching profession. He then taught one term 
of school in Williams County, and when not so employed he worked 
at outside employment. On his marriage, in 1885, he settled on the 
Dick homestead, where his wife had been born and reared, and they 
have continued to reside there to the present time. The place com- 
prises 119 acres of well improved and highly cultivated land, on which 
Mr. Batterson raises a general line of crops and also engages to some 


Vol. II—7 


98 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


extent in stock raising. He is energetic and progressive in his methods 
and is held in high repute as a successful farmer. 

On January 21, 1885, Mr. Batterson was married to Sarah E. Dick, 
who was born on September 9, 1852, on the farm where she now lives. 
She is the daughter of Abraham and Lucy A. (Altaffer) Dick. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Batterson have been born two children, namely: Iva 


P., who is a graduate of Ohio State University and is now teaching in 


the public schools of Cincinnati, Ohio; Ivan A. married Bessie G. 
Spence and they have three children, Frances L., Mabel E. and 
Lewis E. 

Mr. and Mrs. Batterson are members of the German Reformed 
Church and Mr. Batterson is not a party man—in politics. He is a 
member of Pulaski Grange No. 2046. He gives his support to every 
enterprise for the advancement of the welfare of the community and 
is a stockholder in the Pulaski Grain Elevator Company. His success 
has been achieved by close attention to business and by an honorable 
and consistent course he has steadily risen in the esteem of the com- 
munity, his fellow men appreciating the efforts which he made towards 
success and his consistent, upright life. 


Grorce Z. Castor.—One of the worthy citizens of Williams County 


is George Z. Castor, a progressive farmer of Pulaski Township, who © 


is easily the peer of any of his fellows in the qualities that constitute 
correct manhood and good citizenship. He is what he is from natural 
endowment and self-culture, having attained his present standing 
solely through the impelling force of his strong nature. His relations 
with his fellow citizens have been of such a character as to win the 
confidence and respect of all who have come into contact with him. 
George Z. Castor, whose fine farm is located one mile north of 
Bryan, is a native of the Buckeye State, his birth having occurred 
in Defiance County on March 10, 1870, and he is the son of Eli E. 
and Catherine (Ziegler) Castor. Both of his parents also were natives 
of Ohio, the father having been born in Richland County and the 
mother in Defiance County, where she still lives. They were married 
in the latter county and made that their future home. Eli Castor was 
a veteran of the Civil war and was a member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic. He was a republican in his political faith and he and 
his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They 
became the parents of eleven children, of which number eight are still 
living, namely: Belle, who has never married; Susie, the wife of 
Orville Ensign; Jennie, the wife of Henry Gardner; George Z., the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 98 


subject of this sketch; William, of Williams County; Sarah, the wife 
of C. L. Gardner; Arthur E. and Archie E., twins, both of whom 
reside in Williams County. 

George Z. Castor was reared to manhood under the parental roof 
and secured his educational training in the public schools of Defiance 
County. About the time he reached his majority he was married and 
thereafter he farmed on his own account in Defiance County until 
March, 1902, when he came to Williams County and bought a farm 
of eighty-three acres in Pulaski Township, to the cultivation of which 
he has since devoted his time. He is thoroughly up-to-date and prac- 
tical in his farming operations, and has been uniformly successful in 
all that he has undertaken. His place is well improved with sub- 
stantial and attractive buildings and the general appearance of the 
place indicates the owner to be a man of splendid ideals and good 
taste. In addition to general farming, Mr. Castor also gives some 
attention to the raising of live stock, which has been a source of 
comfortable income. He is also a stockholder and a member of the 
board of directors of the Pulaski Farmers’ Co-operative Association. 

On November 19, 1891, Mr. Castor was married to Mertie B. 
Fisher, who was born on October 16, 187 1, near Williams Center, 
Defiance County, Ohio, the daughter of Jesse and Susan (Blair) 
' Fisher, the latter of whom was also born at Williams Center. The 
father was born in Wayne County, Ohio, but came with his parents 
on their removal to Williams Center. After his marriage, he settled 
on a farm in Defiance County, where he spent the remainder of his 
life. Politically, he was a republican and a man of splendid attributes. 
To him and his wife were born nine children, of whom six are living, 
namely: Thomas, Jennie, Mertie B. (Mrs. Castor), Reason S., Harry 
B. and Elery B. To Mr. and Mrs. Castor has been born seven chil- 
dren, namely: Paul; Georgie, the wife of Clarence Richman ; Helen E., 
wife of Alphonso Fulmer; Jesse E., Blanche, Susan E. and Verden F. 

Mr. Castor gives his political support to the republican party, while, 
fraternally, he is a member of Bryan Lodge, Knights of Pythias. By 
a life of industry, uprightness and square dealing—a life devoted to 
the support of whatever is good and true—he has won the admiration 
and genuine regard of a large circle of warm and loyal friends. 


Dayton M. Brue.—lIt has been the privilege of Dayton M. Blue, 
of Superior Township, to always live in one locality. He was born 
there November 8, 1859, and is a son of Dennis H. and Adaline C. 
(Purdy) Blue. The father was born in Seneca County and the mother 


100 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


in Port Clinton. They were married in Seneca County and located 
_ in Superior Township, Williams County. Mr. Blue was a democrat, 
a member of the Masonic Lodge and a Civil war soldier. He was 
an active member of Hiram Louden Post, Grand Army of the Republic, 

There were four children born to Mr. and Mrs. D. H. Blue. Sarah 
is the wife of Jacob Schull, and Mary the wife of Frank Schull. 
Dayton M. Blue, who enrolls the family, is between them in age, and 
a brother, Peter Blue, who educated himself for teaching, died in 
St. Louis. D. M. Blue was reared on the farm where he was born 
and attended the district school in Superior Township. His mother 
died when he was twelve, and at seventeen he began doing for him- 
self, working at whatever presented itself. From young manhood he 
has made his own way in the world. He owns 100 acres of land. 

On September 18, 1881, D. M. Blue married Amanda J. Custer. 
She is a daughter of John and Lydia (Tumblin) Custer, both of whom 
came from Columbiana County. The Tumblins were of Irish lineage, 
and they located on a farm in Williams County. The two sons born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Blue are: Dennis H., who married his brother 
Burton’s widow. He is a brakeman on the Wabash and lives in Mont- 
pelier. Burton B. Blue was born July 4, 1894, and was accidentally 
killed by gunshot while rabbit hunting January 1, 1915. He was mar- 
and since his death his wife, her name was Bertha Waltz, became the ~ 
wife of his brother, Dennis H. Blue. They have two children: Bur- 
ton B. and Rachel Irene Blue. 

John and Lydia Custer, who came from Columbiana to Williams 
County, had eleven children: Jacob, Martin, Amanda, Anna, George, 
Nettie, William, Millie, John, Samuel and Burton. Mrs. Blue’s father 
and mother were members of the United Brethren Church in the com- 
munity. Their children were all brought up under the influence of 
the church. 

£ 

Ora A. Ketser, D. D. S—A well-known and popular resident of 
Bryan, Williams County, Ora A. Keiser, D. D. S., has won an envia- 
ble reputation as a skilful dentist, and built up a large and remunera- 
tive patronage. Dentistry, which has made rapid advances as a science 
within the past few years, is now acknowledged as one of the more 
important branches of surgery, mayhap because at some period of life 
almost every member of the human family has need of its application. 
A native of Williams County, Ohio, he was born February 8, 1867. 

Becoming especially interested in dentistry, he entered the Indiana 
Dental College, Indianapolis, and was there graduated in the spring 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 101 


of 1891. He immediately entered_his father’s office and practiced 
with him for thirteen years, but since that time has continued his busi- 
ness alone. Through his acknowledged skill, courtesy, close attention 
to his professional duties, and his unblemished personal character, 
the doctor has won an extensive and remunerative patronage in Bryan 
and the country roundabout. 

Doctor Keiser married, August 26, 1891, Nellie Patton, who came 
to Williams County as a girl, and was here educated. The doctor and 
Mrs. Keiser have one daughter, Ava Catherine, who was graduated 
from the Bryan High School, and is now the wife of C. M. Acker, 
a well-known contractor of Bryan. Mrs. Keiser is a devout member 
of the Presbyterian Church. Doctor Keiser is a member of Bryan 
Lodge No. 515, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of Northwest 
Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons. 


Georce A. Brim, of Superior Township five miles southwest of 
Montpelier, has the same family lineage as J. M. Brim of the same 
community. He was born October 23, 1862, a son of John and Sarah 
(Chaney) Brim, the father enlisting as a Union soldier in the Civil 
war and dying at Atlanta, Georgia. The children are: Esther, wife 
of Ed C. May, of the same community; Mary, wife of William Jones, 
in Montpelier; Jeptha M. Brim, whose sketch also appears in the 
Williams County History, and George A., who is also a patron of the 
county history. 

Mr. Brim had common school advantages, and when he was seven- 
teen years old he began working as a carpenter, finally becoming 2 
contractor and builder, putting up more farm buildings than any other 
man in Williams County. He is still in the building business although 
living on a farm in Superior Township. 

On Washington’s birthday, 1887, Mr. Brim married Jennie Iden- 
hart, who had come with her parents from Defiance County. They 
have one son, Loren H. Brim, who graduated from common school 
and married Hazel Shaull and lives on a farm in the community. 
Father and son are members of Florence Lodge, Knights of Pythias, 
and the son belongs to the Masonic Lodge in Montpelier. Mr. Brim 
owns 120 acres of land in Superior Township. The son, Loren Brim, 
is a member of the Farmers’ Co-operative Association in Montpelier. 


Lewis P. Micnin.—One of the progressive men of Williams 
County is Lewis P. Mignin, whose indomitable courage, persistent and 
aggressive efforts and his excellent management have brought to him 


102 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


the prosperity which is today his. He has ever stood ready to do 
what he could in pushing forward the wheels of progress and advanc- 
ing the prosperity of this locality and his career has been one worthy 
of the high esteem which those knowing him best freely accord. 

Lewis P. Mignin was born on the farm where he now lives in 
Springfield Township, Williams County, on March 25, 1858, and is 
a son of George D. and Catherine Susan (Planson) Mignin. These 
parents were both natives of France, where the father was born on 
October 7, 1821, and the mother on July 29, 1821. They both are 
now deceased, the father dying on July 16, 1896, and the mother on 
June 16, 1888. They were reared and educated in their native coun- 
try, and after attaining maturity came to the United States, making 
the trip on the same boat. . They came to Williams County, Ohio, and 
here their marriage occurred in 1843. Mr. Mignin bought’a small 
tract of land here, on which they lived for a short time, but he sold 
it and had made up his mind to return to France, but was persuaded 
to remain for a while. He did so, and, success attending his efforts 
this time, he decided to remain permanently, buying the land where the 
subject of this sketch now lives. There he and his wife spent the 
remainder of their days and died. They were both confirmed in the 
faith of the Lutheran Church, and in his political views he was a demo- 
crat. He was a quiet and unassuming man, but was held in the highest 
esteem among his neighbors. To him and his wife were born five 
children, namely: Susan C., born on January 12, 1845, died at the age 
of sixteen years; Fred P., born on August 22, 1846, died on August 
22, 1911; George F., born July 22, 1848, died May 14, 1918; Catherine 
L., born August 11, 1850, died December 14, 1879; and Lewis P. 

Lewis P. Mignin’s boyhood home was a log cabin, in which he was 
reared to manhood and he secured his education in the common schools 
of Springfield Township. He has never left the home farm and is 
now the owner of 305 acres of as good land as can be found in his 
section of the county. This land is devoted to general farming and 
stock raising, in which he has met with a well-deserved success, for 
he has applied himself indefatigably to the improvement and cultiva- 
tion of this farm, and he enjoys a splendid reputation as an enter- 
prising and progressive farmer. 

On July 26, 1879, Mr. Mignin was married to Louise Beucler, 
whose death occurred on November 26, 1910, without issue. In Janu- 
ary, 1912, Mr. Mignin was married to Clara Juillard, whose death 
occurred on January 29, 1918. 

Mr. Mignin is a member of the Lutheran Church and gives his 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 103 


political support to the democratic party. He has always stood 
stanchly for the best things in the community life and enjoys a well- 
deserved popularity throughout the community where his life has 
been spent. 


Lewis T. PERKINS, who is giving a vigorous and effective adminis- 
tration of the office of sheriff of Williams County, is a man of the 
vital, well-poised type that is potent in causing malefactors to “sit up 
and notice” when they attempt to execute their nefarious work within 
his bailiwick, and he is making an admirable record since he became 
sheriff of the county, in 1919. 

Mr. Perkins was born in Gratiot County, Michigan, June 29, 1880, 
and is a son of Frank and Effie (Brady) Perkins, both of whom like- 
wise were born in that county, where their parents were early settlers. 
In his native county Frank Perkins continued operations on the old 
home farm of his parents until 1888, when he came with his family to 
Ohio and established his home at Pettisville, Fulton County. There 
he remained about six years, during which he conducted a meat market 
and also bought and shipped live stock. He finally returned to his 
native county in Michigan, but he is now retired and he and his wife ° 
maintain their home in the City of Saginaw, Michigan. He is affiliated 
with the Masonic fraternity, as were also his father and his paternal 
grandfather, and the sheriff of Williams County, Ohio, perpetuates 
the ancestral fraternal loyalty by his active and appreciative affiliation 
with this time-honored organization, he being a member of the blue 
lodge, chapter and council at Montpelier, and both he and his wife 
being actively identified with the adjunct organization, the Order of 
the Eastern Star. In this connection it is interesting to record that 
the subject of this review has in his possession the Masonic apron 
that was owned and worn by his paternal uncle, Hiram Perkins, who 
was a pioneer settler in Michigan and who was killed as a soldier in 
the War of 1812. Sheriff Perkins has one brother, Hiram, a resident 
of Saginaw, Michigan, and one sister, Doris, who is married to A. T. 
Dixon and resides in Detroit. 

Lewis T. Perkins was eight years old at the time of the family 
removal to Fulton County, Ohio, and his early education was received 
principally in’ the schools of Pettisville, that county. He has been 
virtually dependent upon his own resources since he was a lad of 
twelve years, and thus has gained the self-reliance, courage and invinci- 
ble purpose which make him specially well equipped for the office of 
which he is now the incumbent. He finally entered the employ of the 


104 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Standard Oil Company, of which he continued an efficient representa- 
tive at Montpelier, Williams County, until his election to the office of 
county sheriff, his entire service with the Standard Oil Company hav- 
ing covered a period of sixteen years. He is a loyal advocate and 
supporter of the cause of the republican party and has been active in 
its councils and campaign work in Williams County. In addition to 
his Masonic affiliations at Montpelier he is identified also with the 
organizations of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Loyal 
Order of Moose in that city. 

When he was twenty-five years of age Mr. Perkins was united in 
marriage to Miss Pearl Guilford, of Fulton, Fulton County, Ohio, and 
they have two children—Edna and Earl, both of whom are students 
in the public schools of Bryan. 


Oscar Frank Kocu.—A worthy native son of Williams County 
is Oscar F. Koch, who, after spending his life here successfully 
engaged in agricultural pursuits, is now giving effective service to the 
county as superintendent of the county infirmary. He has succeeded 
in his life work because of his fidelity of purpose, keenness of per- 
ception, unswerving integrity and sound common sense, and he now 
enjoys to a marked degree the esteem and confidence of the people 
of Williams County. 

Oscar Frank Koch was born in Jefferson Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, on July 28, 1874, and is a son of Moses and Sarah 
(Troxel) Koch, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania 
and the latter born in Wayne County, Ohio. They were married in 
the latter county and soon afterward went to St. Joseph County, 
Indiana, where they spent several years. They then came to Williams 
County and here spent the remainder of their days on a farm. The 
father gave his support to the democratic party. To him and his 
wife were born six children, five of whom are living, namely: Diana, 
wife of Alfred Moore; Daniel, of Jefferson Township; George, of 
Palmyra, Michigan; Saloma, wife of George Bohner, of Pioneer, 
Williams County; and Oscar F., the immediate subject of this sketch. 

Oscar F. Koch was reared on the home farm in Jefferson Town- 
ship and secured his education in the common schools of his neigh- 
borhood. He remained at home until he had attained his majority, 
when he started out on his own account, and thereafter he gave his 
attention to farming pursuits until 1917, when he received the appoint- 
ment as superintendent of the county infirmary. That he is eminently 
qualified for this responsible position is evidenced by the successful 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 105 


and businesslike administration of the affairs of the institution, which 
meets with the approval of the voters of the county. 

Mr. Koch was married to Melvina Green, and they became the 
parents of one son, George K., who was born in February, 1902. 
Mrs. Koch died in 1902 and in 1908 Mr. Koch was married to Helen 
Waltz, to which union two children have been born, Hallie and Sher- 
man, both of whom are attending school. Politically, Mr. Koch has 
always given his support to the democratic ticket and has taken an 
intelligent interest in local public affairs, consistently giving his sup- 
port to every worthy cause and movement looking to the betterment 
of the community in any way. Because of his ability, industry and 
fine personal character, he is deservedly popular among all who 
know him. 


EMANUvuEL W. Starr.—The gentleman to a brief review of whose 
life and characteristics the reader’s attention is herewith directed is 
among the favorably known and representative citizens of Williams 
County, where he has spent practically his entire life. He has by his 
indomitable enterprise and progressive methods contributed in a mate- 
rial way to the advancement of his locality and during the course of 
an honorable career has met with success as a general farmer and 
stock raiser, being a man of energy, sound judgment and honesty of 
purpose. 

Emanuel W. Starr, whose splendid farm is located in the northwest 
quarter of section 19, Brady Township, Williams County, was born 
in Richland County, Ohio, on December 25, 1851, and is the son of 
Robert and Rebecca (Wilson) Starr, both of whom also were natives 
of Richland County. They were there reared, educated and married, 
and lived there until September, 1864, when they came to Williams 
County, settling on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch. 
There they spent the remainder of their lives, both being now deceased. 
They became the parents of four children, as follows: Angeline died 
in infancy; Emanuel W., the subject; Eliza J., who became the wife 
of E. C. Boothman; Reuben, who graduated from a law school and 
practiced his profession in Bryan, now deceased. 

Emanuel W. Starr was about thirteen years of age when the fam- 
ily came to Williams County and here he received the major part of 
his education in the district schools of Brady Township. He remained 
at home with his parents, practically taking charge of the operation of 
the farm until 1899, when he bought it and has since devoted his 
energies to its cultivation. He has been successful in his labors and 


106 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


is considered an enterprising and thoroughly practical agriculturist. In 
addition to the raising of general crops, he also gives some attention 
to the raising of live stock, which has proven a very profitable adjunct 
to his other labors. 

On November 16, 1880, Mr. Starr was married to Catherine 
Warren, who was born in Jefferson Township, Williams County, on 
August 17, 1855, the daughter of William and Helen (Lutz) Warren. 
Her father was a native of Maryland and her mother of Pickaway 
County, Ohio, where their marriage occurred. They came to Williams 
County in 1847 and settled in Jefferson Township, where they spent 
the remainder of their lives. Their daughter, Catherine, was reared 
in Jefferson Township and secured a good common school education. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Starr have been born the following children: Oscar 
W., who was married to Leora Mann, lives in West Unity, and they - 
have five children; Loren B. was married to Jennie Smith and lives 
in Brady Township; Orville O., who married Edna Todd, is engaged 
in the operation of his father’s farm; Leland E., after graduating from 
the West Unity High School, attended the Ohio State University, 
where he graduated as a veterinarian and is now engaged in the prac- 
tice of his profession at West Unity; he was married to Zada Fink 
in 1914. 

Mr. and Mrs. Starr are earnest members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, he being a trustee of Fountain Chapel, with which they 
are affiliated. He is a republican in his political faith and is serving 
as a trustee of Brady Township. In every relation of life Mr. Starr 
has fulfilled his every obligation and has given his support whole- 

‘heartedly to every movement for the advancement of. the best inter- 
ests of the community, therefore he enjoys to a notable degree the 
confidence and regard of all who know him. 


Jesse W. BerrsowEr.—Each man who strives to fulfill his part in 
connection with human life and human activities is deserving of recog- 
nition, whatever may be his field of endeavor; and it is the function 
of works of this nature to prepare for future generations an authentic 
record concerning those represented in its pages, and the value of such 
publications is certain to be cumulative for all time to come, showing 
forth the individual and specific accomplishments of which generic 
history is ever engendered. The record of the honored old settler, 
Jesse W. Beerbower, of Pulaski Township, Williams County, is worthy 
of perpetuation on the pages of local history as will be readily ascer- 
tained by perusal of the following paragraphs. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 107 


Jesse W. Beerbower was born in Jefferson Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, on August 24, 1844, and is the son of Jacob F. and 
Susan (Snyder) Beerbower, the former of whom was born in Wayne 
County, Ohio, on January 22, 1822. The subject’s paternal grand- 
parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Spurgeon) Beerbower, were born, 
reared and married in Wise County, West Virginia. Jacob Beerbower 
was a veteran of the War of 1812. Subsequently he moved to Wayne 
County, Ohio, where he entered 160 acres of Government land, which 
was located in the forest, and to the clearing of this land and putting 
it into cultivation his energies were applied. He created a good home 
and other landed estate, and there spent the remainder of his life. 
He was a democrat in his political faith. He was the father of James, 
Jacob F., Jesse, John, William, Sarah, Lydia and Elizabeth. His 

wife died in November, 1833, and he later was married to Mrs. Baum- 
gardner, by whom he had two sons, Abraham and Benton. Jacob 
F. Beerbower was reared on the home farm in Wayne County, Ohio, 
until eighteen years of age, when he and his brother, James, came to 
Jefferson Township, Williams County, the date of their arrival here 
being April 19, 1840. They each secured a quarter section of land 
adjoining, thus having a total of 320 acres in one tract. In 1851 their 
brother Jesse also came out and located near them, and John also 
located on a quarter section in Jefferson Township. Each of these 
brothers received his land as a gift from his father, who also gave their 
sister Sarah eighty acres of land in the same township. On Septem- 
ber 23, 1843, Jacob F. Beerbower was married to Susan Snyder, and 
the following children were born to them, namely: Jesse W., the sub- 
ject of this sketch; Mary J., the widow of H. H. Hester; Sarah, who 
remains unmarried; Francis, the wife of S. S. Wineman ; Jonathan ; 

Jacob C., of Pulaski Township. 

Jesse W. Beerbower was reared on the paternal farmstead in 
Jefferson Township, the schools of which he attended, completing his 
educational training in the public schools of Bunker Hill, Ohio. He 
remained at home until his marriage, when he engaged in farming 
operations on his own account, operating rented land for five years. 
He then bought a farm in Superior Township, on which he lived for 
five years, or until April 10, 1878, when he located on his present 
attractive farm of fifty-four acres, in Pulaski Township, where he has 
resided continuously since. He has been an industrious and pains- 
‘taking farmer during all of his active years and his efforts have been 
rewarded with well-merited success, so that he is able to spend his 
later years in comparative ease. 


108 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Politically, Mr. Beerbower has always given his support to the 
republican party and has taken an intelligent interest in local public 
affairs, especially as pertaining to education, and rendered effective 
service as a member of the local school board. 

Mr. Beerbower was married to Charlotte Jones, a daughter of Cass 
Jones, and they became the parents of the following children: Thomas, 
Arthur, Lydia, Cora. Mrs. Charlotte Beerbower died.on September 
19, 1912. She was a devoted member of the German Reformed 
Church. The subject has led a life of persistent and well-applied 
energy and commendable industry, and, because of his unswerving 
honesty in all his dealings with his fellowmen, and his generous and 
kindly nature, he has won and retains a host of warm personal friends 
throughout the locality long honored by his citizenship. 


Jesse G. SnypER.—The record of the subject of this sketch is that 
of a man who by his own unaided efforts has worked his way from 
a modest beginning to a position of comfort and influence in the com- 
munity. His life has been one of unceasing industry and persever- 
ance and the systematic and honorable methods he has followed have 
won him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens of Williams 
County, whose interests he has ever had at heart and sought to promote 
whenever practicable. 

Jesse G. Snyder, whose splendid farm is located in Jefferson 
Township, about one and a quarter miles east of Pulaski, was born 
in Defiance County, Ohio, on April 29, 1869. He is the son of Christ 
and Caroline (Sparr) Snyder, the former a native of Pennsylvania 
and the latter of Crawford County, Ohio. They were married in the 
latter county and subsequently moved to Defiance County, locating on 
a farm there in 1849, where they spent the remainder of their lives 
and there died. Christ Snyder was a man of excellent parts, was a vet- 
eran of the Civil war, and was a supporter of the republican party. To 
him and his wife were born six children, of which number, three are 
living, namely: Margaret, the wife of Martin Kuzmaul; Sherman, at 
Ney, Ohio, and Jesse G. 

The subject of this sketch remained at home until he had attained 
his majority and assisted his father in the operation of the home farm. 
He secured his education in the common schools of Washington 
Township, Defiance County. After his marriage he remained for 
about twenty years on a farm in his native county, but then sold out 
and, coming to Williams County, bought eighty acres of land in Jef- - 
ferson Township, where he has since resided, and to the improvement 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 109 


and cultivation of which he has devoted his attention. He has car- 
ried on general farming operations, raising all the crops common to 
this locality, and has also given some attention to the raising of live 
stock. Besides his farming interests, Mr. Snyder is also a stockholder 
in the farmers’ elevator at Pulaski. 

In 1890 Mr. Snyder was married to Emma Stuckman, who was 
born and reared in Defiance County, Ohio, and they have become the 
parents of six children, namely: Edna, the wife of Guy Huston; 
Ethel, the wife of Lauren Ensign; Beatrice, the wife of Fred Favor; 
Vera, the wife of Alfred Opdyke; Nelda and Deah. Mr. Snyder 
gives his political support to the republican party and is vitally inter- 
ested in every movement for the benefit of the community. Genial 
and unassuming, he possesses those elements of character which have 
made him popular in the locality in which he lives, and he is numbered 
among the representative citizens of Jefferson Township. 


Joun Witson Stoan.—The biographies of the representative men 
of a county bring to light many hidden treasures of mind, character 
and courage, and it is a source of regret that the people are not more 
familiar with the personal history of such men, in the ranks ot whom 
may be found tillers of the soil, mechanics, teachers, professional men 
and those of varied vocations. John W. Sloan is one of the creditable 
representatives of the agricultural element in Williams County and 
as such has made his influence felt in Springfield Township and 
earned a name for enterprise, business ability and integrity. 

John W. Sloan, whose well improved farm lies about two and a 
half miles south of Stryker, was born in this county on July 12, 1850, 
and is a son of John and Rachael (Bower) Sloan, both of whom were 
natives of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. They were reared to 
maturity in their native county, were married there and in 1849 came 
to Williams County, locating in Springfield Township, where they 
engaged in farming and spent the remainder of their lives. They 
were persons of sterling character, with an active interest in religious 
work, and were among the leaders for right living in their community. 
Mr. Sloan was a democrat in his political views and was a member 
of the Masonic Lodge at Bryan. They became the parents of nine 
children, of which number four are now living, namely: Allen J., of 
Archbold, Ohio, is the widow of Alexis Short; Lavina is the widow 
of Caleb M. Clark; Sophia, the wife of Fred Gilbert, of Raleigh, 
North Carolina; John W., whose name heads these paragraphs. 


110 HISTORY GF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


John W. Sloan was reared under the parental roof and remained 
on the home farm until he was thirty years of age. In his boyhood 
he attended the district schools in winter, during the summer months 
assisting his father. After his marriage he went to farming on his 
own account and during the subsequent years he has steadily forged 
ahead and is now the owner of a fine farm of 160 acres, which he 
devotes to general farming and stock raising. He is methodical in his 
work and up-to-date in his ideas, not hesitating to adopt new ways of 
doing things when their superiority has been demonstrated, and he 
holds a high reputation as a progressive and enterprising farmer. 

In 1880 Mr. Sloan was married to Alice E. Clark, who was born 
in a log cabin on the farm now owned by Mr. Sloan and who received 
her education in the local district schools. Her death occurred on 
January 12, 1918. They became the parents of four children, two of 
whom are living: John L., who is engaged in the hardware business 
in Stryker, and Otis, who remains on the home farm with his father, 
married Dora Mann on Easter Day, 1920. The deceased children are 
William and Gertrude, both of whom died in their thirty-seventh year. 

Mr. Sloan is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
giving earnest support to all its interests. He is a republican in his 
political views and has been active in local public affairs, having 
served eight years as township trustee and also as a member of the 
school board. A man of high moral character, persistent industry and 
excellent judgment, he stands “four square to every wind that blows” 
and enjoys the unlimited confidence and regard of his fellow citizens. 


Exras S. Myers is one of the venerable and honored representa- 
tives of farm industry in Pulaski Township, has been a resident of 
Williams County from the time of his birth, save for an interval of 
two years passed in the West, and is a representative of one of the 
sterling pioneer families of this county. 

Mr. Myers was born on his father’s pioneer farm in Jefferson 
Township, this county, October 12, 1846, and is now the only survivor 
of the five children of George W. and Emily (Lewis) Myers, the 
former of whom was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Decem- 
ber 23, 1808, and the latter of whom was born in Dutchess County, 
New York, June 18, 1818, both having been young at the time of the 
removal of the respective families to Huron County, Ohio. George 
W. Myers became a successful contractor and builder in Huron 
County, where his marriage was solemnized and where he continued 
to reside until 1835, when he came to Williams County and secured 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 111 


a tract of 160 acres of timbered land in Jefferson Township. This 
land is now the site of the Williams County infirmary. He established 
his residence on the place in 1836, cleared off much of the timber 
and reclaimed the tract into a productive farm, upon which he made 
good improvements, as gauged by the standards of the locality and 
period. In 1853 he sold this farm, and in 1855 he removed with his 
family to Bryan, the county seat, where he continued to maintain 
his home until he purchased the land of which the farm of 
Elias S., of this review, is a part. The father remained on this farm 
for a number of years but both he and his wife were residents of 
Bryan at the time of their death. They believed fully in the spiritual 
verities of the Christian religion but were not formally identified with 
any church organization. The father was affiliated with the Masonic 
fraternity for many years prior to his death. Concerning the deceased 
children brief data may consistently be entered: Julia became the 
wife of John M. Welker; Gilpha was the wife of Frank M. Carter: 
Amzi died in California; and George W., Jr., likewise was a resident 
of this county at the time of his death. 

Elias S. Myers was a lad of seven years at the time of the family 
removal from the Jefferson Township farm to Bryan, and here he 
acquired his early education in the village schools of that day. After 
the close of the Civil war he and his brother George became asso- 
ciated in the work and management of their father’s farm in Pulaski 
Township, and there he remained until he had attained to his legal 
majority, when he signalized his independence by passing two years 
in the West. He then returned to Williams County, and here, on 
December 16, 1876, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Caroline 
Reeves, who was born and reared in Center Township, this county. 
The young couple forthwith established their home on the farm which 
is their present place of abode and which has been the stage of 
Mr. Myer’s very successful activities as an agriculturist and stockraiser. 
He still maintains a general supervision of the farm, the area of which 
he has reduced, by sale, to fifty-seven acres, but in a general way he 
may be said to be living retired, in the enjoyment of the merited 
rewards of former years of earnest toil and endeavor. His wife is 
nearly a decade his junior, as she was born January 26, 1856. They 
have two children: Frank, who was born December 16, 1877, is a 
prosperous farmer in Pulaski Township; and Cora May, born June 1, 
1879, is the wife of Edwin Hester, their home being in Calhoun 
County, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Myers take marked pride in the 
fact that they have seven grandchildren. They have lived a quiet and 


112 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


uneventful life, have done well their part in community affairs and 
have the unqualified esteem of all who know them. In politics 
Mr. Myers is a democrat. 


Cuaries A. Roopg.—It cannot be other than interesting to note in 
the series of personal sketches appearing in the work the varying con- 
ditions that have compassed those whose careers are outlined, and the 
effort has been made in each case to throw well focused light ontg the 
individual and to bring into proper perspective the scheme of each 
» respective career. The banks of Williams County have ever main- 
tained a high standing, and among the able young workers in this 
field of endeavor is Charles A. Roode, cashier of the Farmers and 
Merchants State Savings Bank, at Montpelier. With a natural pre- 
dilection for this vocation and endowed with an analytical mind, he is 
exemplifying in a significant way the value of the possession of these 
elements of character which command the confidence of those 
acquainted with him and his work. 

Charles A. Roode is a native son of the county now honored by 
his citizenship, having been born near West Unity, Ohio, on October 
17, 1887. His parents are A. B. and Sarah E. (Shaffer) Roode, the 
former a native of the State of Michigan and the latter born near 
West Unity, Ohio. A. B. Roode came to Williams County in young 
manhood, but later went to Kansas, where he remained for a time. 
Returning then to Williams County, through the subsequent years he 
engaged successfully in agricultural pursuits. His wife, whose death 
occurred in 1914, was a member of the liberal branch of the United 
Brethren Church, while both were members of the Ancient Order of 
Gleaners. He gives his political support to the democratic party. To 
him and his wife were born three children, namely: Charles A., who 
is the immediate subject of this review; Lena, who is the wife of T. M. 
Shaull, a farmer in Superior Township; Winnie, the wife of Harley 
Bible, of Superior Township. 

Charles A. Roode lived on the parental farmstead until twelve 
years of age, and thereafter lived at West Jefferson, in Jefferson 
Township. He received his elementary education in the district schools, 
and then was a student in the International Business College at Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, where he was graduated in 1907. His first employ- 
ment was as a bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Montpelier, 
from which he was advanced to the position of assistant cashier, which 
he held until January 1, 1916. On the latter date he became assistant 
cashier of the Farmers and Merchants State Savings Bank of Mont- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 113 


pelier and on January 1, 1917, he was made cashier, which position 
he still holds. This is one of the strong and influential financial insti- 
tutions of Williams County and has been an important factor in the 
progress and development of business in this county. The official 
personnel of this bank is as follows: E. E. Kaufman, president; 
Albert Schlegel, vice president; Charles A. Roode, cashier; H. H. 
Wisman, assistant cashier, and Keith A. Porter, teller. Mr. Roode is 
a stockholder in this bank and undoubtedly much of the success which 
it enjoys is due to the business ability and personal popularity of its 
cashier. 

On December 24, 1911, Mr. Roode was married to Grace Roberta 
Tressler, who was born and reared in Jefferson Township, Williams 
County, and they have one child, Mary Alice. Mrs. Roode is well 
educated and prior to her marriage she was engaged in teaching in 
the public schools of Williams County. Mr. and Mrs. Roode are 
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Mr. Roode is 
a member of the board of stewards and financial secretary of the 
society. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and 
the Ancient Order of Gleaners, and in the first named order is the 
present master of finance. Politically, he gives his support to the 
democratic party and is the present treasurer of Superior Township 
and of Montpelier Village. The record of Mr. Roode’s life is a plain 
chronicle, marked by no sensational chapters, but it is the record of 
one who has so ordered his life as to earn the sincere respect and 
esteem of the entire community. He takes a deep interest in every 
movement having for its object the advancement of the best interests 
of the community and is considered a representative citizen of the 
locality in which he lives. 

Franx N. Watson.—The gentleman, to a brief review of whose 
life and character the reader’s attention is herewith directed, is among 
the favorably known and representative citizens of Williams County.. 
Mr. Watson has by his indomitable enterprise and progressive methods 
contributed in a material way to the advancement of his community 
during the course of an honorable career, and he has ascended by his 
individual efforts from the bottom of the ladder to a place of impor- 
tance in farming circles in this locality, having ever been known as a 
man of unswerving industry, sound judgment and honesty of purpose. 

Frank N. Watson, whose well cultivated and productive farm is 
located in Jefferson Township, six miles north and one and a half 
miles east of Bryan, was born in Northwest Township, this county, on 

Vol. II—8 f 


114 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


July 17, 1876, and is the son of W. C. and Jennie (Dargitz) Watson, 
the former of whom was born in Columbiana County, Ohio. After 
attaining maturity he came to Williams County, and was here married. 
He settled in Northwest Township, where he engaged in carpenter 
work and the sawmill business, switching later to carpentering and 
contracting. During the Civil war he enlisted as a private and gave 
faithful service to the Union during that great struggle. ‘He was after- 
wards a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. His religious 
membership was with the United Brethren Church. To him and his 
wife were born four children, namely: Carrie, the wife of W. A. 
Dietrich; Cora, the wife of A. J. Dietrich, a twin brother of W. A.; . 
Frank N.; Daisy, the wife of W. E. Warrick. 

Frank N. Watson was reared to manhood on the parental farm- 
stead in Northwest Township and attended the district schools, com- 
pleting his studies in the high school at Montpelier with the class of 
1895. He then followed the vocation of school teacher for eight years, 
being employed in the schools of Williams County. Aside from his 
labors as a teacher, however, Mr. Watson has devoted practically his 
entire life to agricultural interests, in which he has been rewarded 
with splendid success. He owns seventy-eight acres of excellent land, 
devoted to general farming and stock raising and maintains his place 
at a high state of cultivation, following up-to-date methods in his work. 
Mr. Watson is a stockholder and the president of the Farmers’ Grain 
Elevator at Pulaski. 

On August 20, 1892, Mr. Watson was married to Pearl Koch, who 
was born in Jefferson Township, the daughter of D. P. Koch, who is 
referred to specifically in later paragraphs in this sketch. To this 
union have been born eight children: Lawrence, Opal, Willard, June, 
Hubert, Robert, Marjorie and William C. 

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the Church of 
the Brethren, while, politically, Mr. Watson gives his support to the 
republican party. Because of his business success, his public spirit, 
and his sterling qualities of character, he well merits the high standing 
which he occupies in the esteem of all who know him. 

Elder Daniel P. Koch was born in St. Joseph County, Indiana, on 
August 23, 1858, and is the son of Moses and Sarah (Troxell) Koch. 
His father was born in 1829 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and 
the mother was born in Wayne County, Ohio, in 1842. When four 
years of age Moses Koch was brought by his parents to Ohio, locating 
first in Holmes County, following which they lived for a time in 
Wayne County. Later they came to Defiance County, and finally 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 115 


located in Williams County. He was married in Wayne County, and 
then went to St. Joseph County, Indiana, where he lived four years. 
At the end of that time he sold out and returned to Williams County, 
and settled on a farm in Jefferson Township, where he lived until 1862. 
He sold his farm here and moved to Elkhart County, Indiana, but at 
the end of a year he returned to Williams County and again located 
in Jefferson Township, where he spent the remainder of his life. He 
was a democrat in politics. To him and his wife were born six chil- 
dren, namely: Diana, the wife of A. M. Moore, of Center Township, 
this county ; Lanetta, deceased, was the wife of Jonathan Dick: Daniel 
P., who is referred to specifically in these paragraphs; George, of 
Michigan; Taloma, the wife of G. O. Boner, of Michigan; Oscar F., 
who is superintendent of the Williams County infirmary. 

Daniel P. Koch was reared in Williams County and received a 
common school education. He remained with his parents until he had 
attained his majority, and, after his marriage, which occurred in 1878, 
he rented the home farm for three or four years. He then bought 
sixty acres of land, but subsequently purchased the old homestead and 
located on it. Subsequently he bought a farm near Pioneer, on which 
he lived for five years, but sold it and came to his present farm, which 
comprises 190 acres of excellent land. 

On November 7, 1878, Mr. Koch was married to Cora Keiser, of 
Primrose, Ohio, whose birth occurred in Williams County in 1865. 
She secured her education in’ the district schools, and she bore her 
husband two children, namely: Pearl, the wife of Frank N. W atson,. 
and Homer Dale, born in May, 1889, who was married to Belle Wiley, 
of Montpelier, Ohio. 

Elder Koch is at the head of the local churches of his denomination, 
known as the Church of the Brethren. Politically he is a democrat. 
Because of his upright character, his influence for good in this com- 
munity and his genial disposition, he is well liked by all with whom he 
comes in contact. 


A. Eart Newcomer is staging his progressive activities as a general 
agriculturist and successful dairy farmer on the fine old homestead 
farm which figures as the place of his nativity and which is eligibly 
situated one mile south and one-fourth of a mile east of Bryan, the 
judicial center of his native county. Here he was born June 16, 1882, 
and he is a son of Nathaniel H. and Barbara (Brown) Newcomer, 
well known and highly honored citizens of the county where the 


116 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


father has long been a prominent and successful exponent of farm 
industry. 

No minor valuation does A. Earl Newcomer place on the youthful 
experience which he gained in connection with the varied activities of 
the old home farm, and in the meanwhile he made good use of the 
advantages afforded in the district schools, besides which he attended 
the Bryan High School two years and thereafter completed a course 
in a leading business college in the City of Toledo. Upon his return 
to the parental home he rented the farm from his father for one year, 
and he then purchased of his father the well-improved eighty-acre 
place upon which he now resides and where he is giving special atten- 
tion to dairy farming, with an excellent herd of Holstein cattle, includ- 
ing a goodly number of the best type of milch cows, and breeder of 
Spotted Poland China hogs. He is one of the progressive young men 
of Pulaski Township, is energetic and enterprising in his business 
activities and is making his dairy industry a distinctive success. He is 


a republican in political adherency. He and his wife hold membership | 


in the Church of the Brethren. 

In December, 1906, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. New- 
comer to Miss Virga E. Wise, who likewise was born and reared in 
Pulaski Township, and they have two winsome little daughters— 
Pauline and Katherine. 


Ep Pirer—One of the leading citizens and representative business 
men of Williams County is Ed Piper, who is engaged in the heating 
and plumbing business at Stryker. His has been an eminently active 
and useful life, but the limited space at the disposal of the biographer 
forbids more than a casual mention of the leading events in his career. 
He is a man of influence in local affairs and is looked upon as a man 
thoroughly in sympathy with any movement looking toward the bet- 
terment of the community in any way. He has always been regarded 
as a man of sterling honesty and worthy of the utmost confidence 
and respect, which his fellow citizens have been free to accord, owing 
to his upright, public-spirited and industrious life. 

Ed Piper was born at New Holstein, Wisconsin, on February a; 
1877, and is the son of Henry and Mary (Greve) Piper, who also 
were natives of New Holstein, where their respective families had been 
among the earliest settlers. Both families had their origin in Germany 
and in Wisconsin they followed farming and dairying. The subject 
of this sketch was reared on the paternal farmstead until eighteen years 
of age and secured his education in the public schools. He then 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 117 


apprenticed himself to learn the tinning trade, serving three years, 
and at the end of that period he located in Waterloo, Indiana, where 
he worked at his trade for a time, later going to Butler, Indiana, where 
he spent eight months. In 1898 Mr. Piper came to Stryker and entered 
the employ of the Beucler Manufacturing Company, for whom he 
worked for two years, being employed in the making of tanks. He 
then bought the business, to which he has added the departments of 
heating and plumbing, and has conducted the business to the present 
time. Thoroughly qualified in every way for his lines of work, 
Mr. Piper has commanded his full share of the public trade, his 
patronage covering a wide radius of surrounding country, and he has 
built up a large and prosperous business. His plant is well equipped 
and is thoroughly up-to-date in stock and appliances, so that large or 
small contracts can be handled with equal facility. 

Mr. Piper was married to Anna Strong, and five children have 
blessed their union, namely: Lawrence, Francis, Eva, Bernice and 
Pauline. Politically, Mr. Piper gives his support to the republican 
party, while his fraternal relations are with the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, in which he has served as noble grand of his sub- 
ordinate lodge. He is a man of generous nature, congenial among his 
acquaintances, and by his life of industry, integrity of purpose and 
public spirit, he has won the unreserved confidence and esteem of the 
entire community. 


O. H. Bowen.—Upon the roll of representative citizens and influ- 
ential business men of Williams County consistently appears the name 
of Orlie H. Bowen, the popular and able cashier of the Montpelier 
National Bank of Montpelier, Ohio. He is one of those who has 
contributed largely to the material welfare of the community in which 
he resides. He has been a resident of this community for many years, 
during which time he has won the esteem and respect of the people, 
for he possesses those sterling qualities of character which commend 
themselves to an intelligent people. 

Orlie H. Bowen was born at New London, Huron County, Ohio, on 
April 24, 1884, and is the son of Robert and Rebecca (Cline) Bowen, 
both of whom were born and reared in Richland County, Ohio. They 
were married there and for a time engaged in farming. Subsequently 
they came to Williams County and eventually Mr. Bowen was able 
to lay aside active farm work and retire. They were members of the 
United Brethren Church and in politics Mr. Bowen gave his support 
to the republican party. Of the seven children born to them, six are 


118 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


now living, namely: Leonard E., of Montpelier; C. L., of Montpelier ; 
Bert H., of Mobile, Alabama; Elmer B., of Coldwater, Michigan ; 
Orlie H., the subject of this review; Ella M., the wife of Cyrenus 
Pierce, of Pathlow, Canada. 

Orlie H. Bowen spent his boyhood days under the parental roof 
and received his elemental education in the public schools and attended 
the Montpelier High School. He then took a commercial course in the 
Davis Business College at Toledo, Ohio. His first employment was 
with the First National Bank, from which he went to the Kunkle 
State Banking Company on June 8, 1903, as assistant cashier. On 
March 1, 1907, Mr. Bowen was elected cashier of the First National 
Bank of Montpelier, and after the consolidation of that bank with 
the Montpelier Bank, on March 1, 1916, he was continued as cashier 
of the merged institutions, which position he still holds. This bank 
enjoys an enviable standing throughout this section of the country 
and is counted among the strong and reliable banks of the county. Its 
official personnel is as follows: J. D. Hill, president; Gerry Drake, 
vice president ; Orlie H. Bowen, cashier, and W. P. Tressler, assistant 
cashier. Mr. Bowen is a man of sound and mature judgment and 
devotes himself indefatigably to the interests of the institution with 
which he is connected. 

Mr. Bowen was married to Lucy Opdycke, who is a graduate of 
the Montpelier High School, and they are the parents of two children, 
Mary E. and Alice J. Mr. Bowen is a member of the liberal branch 
of the United Brethren Church and of its official board. Fraternally, 
he is a member of Montpelier Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; the 
chapter of Royal Arch Masons, of which he is past high priest, and 
the Council of Royal and Select Masters. Politically, he gives his 
support to the republican party and he stands stanchly for the best 
things in the community life. Because of his business ability and his 
stefling character he is deservedly popular throughout the community. 


GrorcE M. BENNER.—Clearly defined purpose and consecutive 
effort will inevitably result in the attaining of a due measure of suc- 
cess, but in following out the career of one who has attained success 
by his own efforts there comes into view the intrinsic individuality 
which made such accomplishment possible, and thus there is granted 
an objective incentive and inspiration, while at the same time there 
is enkindled a feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which 
have made Mr. Benner one of the prominent and successful men of 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 119 


Williams County have also brought him the esteem of his fellow men, 
for his career has been one of well directed energy, strong determina- 
tion and honorable methods. 

George M. Benner was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 
8, 1874, and he is the son of Jacob and Mary (Foley) Benner. The 
father was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, and the mother was a 
native of Ireland, whence she came to the United States in young girl- 
hood. They were married and at once settled in Tennessee, where they 
remained until the father’s death. Then the widow came to Defiance 
County, Ohio, where she lived until her death, which occurred in 
Montpelier. To Jacob and Mary Benner were born the following 
children: Fannie, the wife of Ellsworth Hillard, of Pioneer, Ohio; 
Ella, the wife of Emory Sellinger, of Wauseon, Ohio; Margaret, the 
wife of Elmer Replogle, of Jefferson Township, this county; Minnie, 
the wife of John Sawyer, of Auburn, Indiana; Jacob, of Bryan, and 
George M., the subject of this sketch. 

George M. Benner was about two years of age when he was taken 
by his mother to Defiance County, and was nine years of age when 
he came to Williams County. During this period after they came to 
Ohio, the subject lived with his paternal grandfather, George Benner, 
and he received the advantage of a common school education. At the 
age of eighteen years he started in life on his own account, first as a 
farm laborer. Eventually he forged ahead and bought his present fine 
farm of sixty acres in Pulaski Township, where he has since resided 
and where he has given his attention to general farming and stock 
raising. Industrious and painstaking, he has persevered in his efforts 
and today is considered a man of good judgment and wise discrimina- 
tion as a business man. He keeps his place in excellent order and the 
permanent improvements are of a substantial and attractive character. 

Mr. Benner was married, on October 8, 1902, to Mabel Thompson, 
who was born at Fayette, Ohio, and who received a good education in 
the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Benner are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, in the activities of which they take a prominent 
part, Mr. Benner being a trustee of the church at Pulaski and super- 
intendent of the Sunday school. Politically, he gives his support to 
the republican party and takes a proper interest in the public affairs 
of the community, though he is not in any sense an aspirant for 
public office. Because of his business success and his excellent quali- 
ties of character, he enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and 
good will of the entire community. 


120 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Grorce G. Broom.—The subject of this review enjoys prestige 
among the citizens of the Township of Springfield, Williams County, 
where he has spent a life of unusual industry, which has been crowned 
with success, and as a neighbor and citizen he is highly esteemed by 
all who know him. He earned the right to be called one of the pro- 
gressive men of his community, having fought his way onward and 
upward to a position of honor in the circles in which he has moved and 
in every relation of life his voice and his influence have been on the © 
side of right. 

George G. Bloom, who is the owner of 303 acres of excellent farm- 
ing land in sections 17, 18 and 19, Springfield Township, about five 
and a half miles east of Bryan, was born in Pulaski Township, this 
county, on November 20, 1863, and is a son of Daniel W. and Eliza- 
beth (Truxill) Bloom, the latter of whom was born in Huron County, 
Ohio, on February 7, 1834. Daniel W. Bloom was born in Erie 
County, Pennsylvania, on November 11, 1832, and at the age of seven 
years was taken by his parents to Richland County, Ohio, where he 
grew to manhood. The family were in poor financial circumstances 
at that period and the subject’s education was necessarily somewhat 
neglected, though he succeeded in learning to read and write. Eventu- 
ally he married and settled in Huron County, Ohio, where he gave his 
attention to farming for a few years. In 1856 he moved to Williams 
County and located in the north central part of Pulaski Township, 
where he bought forty acres of timber land, to the clearing and ditch- 
ing of which he gave his attention. He was poor in this world’s goods 
and made ax handles as a source of ready cash, while his farm labors 
were being prosecuted. Eventually he was able to sell the forty-acre 
tract for $500 more than he paid for it, and then bought forty acres 
in another location, on which he lived for five years, selling it also at 
a very good advance in price. He then moved to Huron County, 
where for a short time he was engaged in farming, but he then bought 
eighty acres comprising a part of what is now known as the Bloom 
farm in Springfield Township, Williams County, and there he lived 
until his death, which occurred on March 7, 1912. He was a repub- 
lican in his political views and was a strong supporter of all moral 
and benevolent movements. Of the three children born to him and 
his wife, but one is now living, George G. 

George G. Bloom was reared in Pulaski and Springfield townships 
and received his educational training in the district schools. He was 
reared to the life of a farmer and has never forsaken that vocation. 
He has devoted his energies and best faculties to the intelligent opera- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 121 


tion of his farm and has been eminently successful in his efforts, being 
numbered among the enterprising, progressive and substantial farmers 
of his section of the county. 

' On February 25, 1883, Mr. Bloom was married to Mary Wibirt, 
who was born in Springfield Township, Williams County, on June 5, 
1865, the daughter of Joseph Wibirt, a native of New York State. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Bloom have been born four children, namely: Clar- 
ence A., who is unmarried and at home, is a member of Bryan Lodge 
No. 215, Free and Accepted Masons, and Northwest Chapter No. 45, 
Royal Arch Masons; Emmett E., who married Mildred Radabaugh and 
they have two children, Verl and Robert; Ford M., who is a member 
of Stryker Lodge, Knights of Pythias, is a veteran of the World war, 
having been first with the Eighty-Fourth Division, after which he was 
transferred to Company G, Three Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment, of 
the Ninetieth Division; he fought in the Argonne drive, was later in 
the Army of Occupation, was wounded and confined in eight hospi- 
tals, and was finally mustered out on June 15, 1919; Celia E. is a stu- 
dent in the high school at Stryker. 

Mr. Bloom and all the members of his family are affiliated with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. Bloom is an earnest 
supporter of the republican party. Fraternally, he is a member of the 
Masonic Order, belonging to lodge, chapter, council and commandery, 
and also holds membership in Zenobia Temple of the Mystic Shrine 
at Toledo, Ohio. 

He has acted well his part in life and, while primarily interested 
in advancing his own interests, he has not been unmindful of his 
obligations to the community and has consistently supported every 
movement for the advancement of the general welfare. Because of 
his success and his high character he enjoys the esteem and confidence 
of all who know him. 


GrorcE F. Gentit.—One of the up-to-date farmers and stock 
raisers of Springfield Township, Williams County, who has worked 
hard for what he now possesses is George F. Gentit. He knows how 
to appreciate the true dignity of labor and to place a correct estimate 
upon the value of money. Nevertheless, he is liberal in his benefac- 
tions and stands ever ready to support with his influence and means 
all measures for the material and moral welfare of the community 
in which he has so long resided. Among those who know him best 
he bears the reputation of a man who exercises sound judgment and 
who has pronounced views, and he keeps himself well informed upon 


122 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


all matters pertaining to the public weal or woe and always exercises 
the duties of citizenship in a conscientious manner. 

George F. Gentit, whose fine farm is located two miles west of 
Stryker, was born near West Unity, Williams County, on March 6, 
1872, and he is the son of Peter and Margaret (Mungo) Gentit. Both 
of these parents were natives of France, whence the father came to 
the United States at the age of eight years. Later he returned to his 
native land and was married, returning to this county immediately 
thereafter. He spent the rest of his days here, his death occurring in 
February, 1919, his widow survived him until January, 1920. They 
became the parents of five children, namely: Ortense, the wife of 
Elsie Bruot; Leon, of Springfield Township; Peter, of Stryker; Fan- 
nie, wife of William Thiel, of Pulaski Township; George F. 

George F. Gentit was reared on the parental farmstead and attended 
the district schools during his boyhood. He has always followed the 
vocation of farming, in which he has met with pronounced success, 
owing to his indefatigable industry, his sound judgment and his busi- 
ness ability, and is numbered among the leading farmers of his section 
of the county. He carries on a general line of farming, in connection 
with which he gives some attention to stock raising. He owns 248 
acres of land, which is well improved and maintained at a high stand- 
ard of cultivation. Mr. Gentit is a stockholder in the Farmers’ Grain 
Elevator at Pulaski. 

In 1893 Mr. Gentit was married to Eliza Goll and they have three 
children living, namely: Alfred G., born on November 24, 1894, 
received his education in the district schools; on June 25, 1918, he 
enlisted in the United States military service and was sent to Camp 
Sherman, at Chillicothe, Ohio, where he remained until September 2, 
1918, when he was sent to France. He was assigned to the “S. O. 55. 
remaining in that service until the summer of the following year, when 
he returned home and on July 26, 1919, he was mustered out at Camp 
Sherman, with the rank of corporal. He is a member of the Knights 
of Pythias. He is unmarried and remains at home. Charles, the ‘ 
second child in order of birth, graduated from the Stryker High School 
in 1916, and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. The young- 
est child, Francis, is a student in the Stryker High School. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gentit are active members of the Lutheran Church, 
of which society Mr. Gentit is a trustee. He has been successful in 
business, respected in social life and as a neighbor he has discharged 
his duties in a manner becoming a liberal-minded and intelligent citizen 
of a community where the essential qualities of manhood have ever 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 123 


been recognized and prized at their true value, therefore he has justly 
merited the splendid reputation which he enjoys throughout his section 
of the county. 

{ 

Dr. Gren Bippie.—One of the best known and most successful 
veterinary surgeons in Northwestern Ohio is Dr. Glen Biddle, of 
Bryan, Williams County, where he has been engaged in the active prac- 
tice of his profession since 1911. He has won success in life in a 
definite manner because he has persevered in pursuit of a worthy 
purpose and is gaining thereby a most satisfactory reward. He is the 
representative of honored old families of this part of the Buckeye 
State and has so ordered his life as to win the respect of all who 
know him. 

Glen Biddle was born in Wauseon, Fulton County, Ohio, on August 
19, 1889, and is a son of S. A. and Clara E. (Kesler) Biddle, both of 
whom also are natives of Ohio. After their marriage, these parents 
located in Fulton County, where the father has successfully followed 
farming and stock breeding. He is a member of the Knights of 
Pythias and is held in high esteem in his community. His wife is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Glen Biddle was reared 
on the home farm in Fulton County and attended the public schools, 
completing his elementary education in the high school at Wauseon. 
He then entered the Ontario Veterinary College and the University 
of Toronto, from both of which institutions he was graduated in due 
time; from the Ontario Veterinary College in April, 1910, with the 
degree of Veterinary Surgeon, and from the University of Toronto 
in June of the same year with the degree of Bachelor of Veterinary 
Science. On December 4, 1911, Doctor Biddle located in Bryan and 
has been engaged in his profession here continuously since. He has 
been very successful and enjoys a wide reputation as a thoroughly 
competent and skilful veterinarian. 

Doctor Biddle is an ardent advocate of better live stock and has 
given evidence of his interest in many ways, not the least of which is 
in his active connection with the Williams County Holstein Breeders’ 
Company, incorporated, which is officered as follows: President, 
Albert Kalber; vice president, E. D. Ensign; general manager, H. F. 
Burgbacher ; secretary and treasurer, Glen Biddle. This company was 
organized for the specific purpose of inducing and encouraging the 
farmers and stockmen of Williams County to breed and raise better 
grades of stock of all kinds, and thereby increase the value of their 
output in that line. In many other ways the doctor has been active in 


124 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


furthering enterprises for the advancement of the best interests of the 
county. 

Glen Biddle was married to Iva Bard, a daughter of Henry and 
Sarah Bard. She was born and reared in this county and completed 
her education in the Bryan High School. Politically, Doctor Biddle 
is a supporter of the republican party, while, fraternally, he is a mem- 
ber of Bryan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. He is a man of 
action rather than words, being eminently utilitarian, and his energy 
of character and professional success have gained for him the con- 
fidence of the entire community. 


Wituiam E. Ruitey, of Montpelier, is a man whose life has become 
an essential part of the history of this section and he has exerted a 
beneficial influence in the locality honored by his citizenship. .His 
chief characteristics seem to be fidelity of purpose, keenness of per- 
ception, unswerving integrity and sound common sense, which have 
earned for him the esteem of the entire community. Mr. Riley was 
born in Bridgewater Township, Williams County, on September 3, 
1867, and is a son of Alfred and Eliza (Kollar) Riley. His parents 
were both natives of Ohio, they having been born in Darke County. 
They came to Williams County with their respective parents, and after 
their marriage they first located in Superior Township, later moving 
to Bridgewater Township, and finally to Montpelier, where they spent 
the remainder of their lives and there died. They were members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Alfred Riley gave his sup- 
port to the republican party, being active in local public affairs, and 
served six years as a member of the Board of County Commissioners 
of Williams County. During the Civil war he served in the Union 
army and was afterwards a member of Hiram Lowden Post No. 155, 
Grand Army of the Republic. He was also affiliated with the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. To him and his wife were born six 
children, of whom four are now living, namely: Lenora, the wife of 
G. B. Williams, of Bridgewater Township; Lydia, wife of August 
Biggle; William E., the subject of this sketch, and Cora, the wife of 
Charles Farlee, of Montpelier. 

William E. Riley remained on the home farm with his parents 
until he had attained his majority, and during his boyhood he attended 
the district schools. From the age of twenty-one he assumed the 
operation of the home farm, to which he gave his attention until the 
spring of 1895, when he came to Montpelier and engaged in the grain 
husiness under the firm name of Riley & Pew. At the end of a year 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 125 


he purchased Mr. Pew’s interest in the business, the firm name being 
then changed to Riley & Son, the subject’s father being the senior 
member of the firm. Two years later the latter died and William E. 
then became the sole owner of the business, to which he has devoted 
his attention continuously since, the Riley elevator being one of the 
best known elevators in this section of the county. By strict attention 
to business and fair dealings with his patrons, Mr. Riley has not only 
built up a good businéss, but he has also gained an enviable reputation 
as a man of integrity and sound business qualities. 

On November 1, 1891, Mr. Riley was married to Eva Bailey, who 
was born and reared in Bridgewater Township, where she attended 
the district schools. They are the parents of a daughter, Thelma, born 
in 1904, who is now a student in the Montpelier High School. 

‘Fraternally, Mr. Riley is a member of Lodge No. 269, Knights of 
Pythias, of which he is a past chancellor, and is also a member of the 
grand lodge. Mrs. Riley is a member of the Order of the Eastern 
Star and the Pythian Sisters. Politically, Mr. Riley is an earnest sup- 
porter of the republican party and has served for six years as a mem- 
ber of the village council. Strong and forceful in his relations with 
his fellowmen, he has not only made his presence felt, but has also 
gained the good will and commendation of all who know him. 


B. E. Custer.—In studying the life history of B. E. Custer, well- 
known business man and the present postmaster of Montpelier, there 
are found many qualities in his makeup that always gain definite 
success in any career if properly directed. The splendid success which 
has come to Mr. Custer is directly traceable to the salient points in his 
character, for he started in life at the bottom of the ladder, which he 
has mounted unaided. With a mind capable of planning, he combined 
a will strong enough to execute his well-formulated purposes, and his 
great energy, sound judgment, keen discrimination and perseverance 
have resulted in a well-deserved success. 

B. E. Custer was born in Superior Township, Williams County, on 
March 28, 1877, and is a son of John and Lydia (Tumblin) Custer. 
His parents were both born and reared in Columbiana County, Ohio, 
where they were married. Some time afterwards they came to Wil- 
liams County and settled about three miles southwest of Montpelier, 
where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were highly 
‘respected in their community and Mr. Custer held several township 
offices. He was a republican in his political views, and he and his wife 
were active members of the United Brethren Church. Of the thirteen 


126 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


children born to them, the subject of this sketch was the youngest and 
was the seventh son. All of these children remained residents of 
Superior Township. 

B. E. Custer was reared and educated in his native township, 
graduating from the common schools. . About the time he attained his 
majority he learned the barber’s trade, at which he worked for about 
twelve years. At the end of that time he engaged in the real state 
and insurance business, in which he met with splendid success. In 
1907 he was assessor of personal property and in 1910 he appraised 
the real estate of Montpelier. He is a man of good judgment and 
accurate knowledge as to real estate values and was unusually com- 
petent as an appraiser. In 1913 Mr. Custer was appointed postmaster 
of Montpelier and in 1917 was reappointed to that position, being the 
present incumbent. He is eminently qualified for this position, for he 
thoroughly believes in the political maxim that “public office is a public 
trust,” and to that end he has so conducted the affairs of the postoffice 
that he has earned the commendation of both the patrons of the office 
and the department officials. . 

Mr. Custer was married to Zoa M. Haines, who was born in Hamil- 
ton, Indiana, being brought to Williams County in her childhood.’ She 
was educated in the schools here, being a graduate of the Montpelier 
High School. Mr. and Mrs. Custer are members of the United 
Brethren Church and earnest in their support of all its activities. 
Politically, Mr. Custer has been a lifelong supporter of the democratic 
party. A man of many sterling qualities of head and heart, his career, 
both officially and in the humble sphere of private citizenship, has been 
such as to commend him to the favorable consideration of the best 
people of the community where he has long maintained his residence. 


G. Grant STAHL.—Specific mention is made of many of the worthy 
citizens of Williams County within the pages of this work, citizens 
who have figured in the business interests of this favored locality, and 
who have been and still are identified with its various phases of pro- 
gress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well-being of the 
community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal 
and legitimate growth. Among this number is G. Grant Stahl, pro- 
prietor of the Montpelier Creamery and a man who has made an 
excellent impression upon all with whom he has come in contact. 
Mr. Stahl was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, on June 16, 1880, 
and is the son of David and Adora (Bastress) Stahl. Both of these 
parents were also natives of the Keystone state, the father having 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 127 


been born in Perry County and the mother in Juniata County. After 
their marriage they located on a farm in Perry County, where the 
mother still lives, her husband having met his death by accident in 
1910. They became the parents of nine children, of which number 
five are still living, as follows: Leona, the wife of Charles Bailer; 
B. M., of Mount Wolfe, Pennsylvania; Eva, the wife of J. W. Wor- 
stall, of New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Bertha, the wife of 
John Bailer, of Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania, and G. Grant. 

G. Grant Stahl was reared under the parental roof until he was 
sixteen years of age, and attended school some, though in the main 
his education was seriously neglected. However, he was ambitious 
to make up for this deficiency and applied himself ‘closely to study 
at night, in addition to which he took a course of study with the 
International Correspondence School of Scranton, Pennsylvania. His 
labors had been mostly at farm work until the age of sixteen years, at 
which time he went to Cranberry, New Jersey, and became identified 
with the creamery business, being employed with the Middlesex Dairy 
Company for six years. During the following year he was similarly 
employed at Allentown, New Jersey, and then he spent three years at 
Buckmanville, Pennsylvania, where he was manager of the Bucks | 
County Creamery Company. He was next manager of a creamery at 
Stockton, New Jersey, but at the end of a year he became head clerk 
in a department store at Millerstown, Pennsylvania, holding that posi- 
tion also one year. His next engagement was as manager of a cream- 
ery at Elverston, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he remained 
until 1905, when he came to Montpelier, Williams County, as manager 
of the local creamery. In 1910 Mr. Stahl bought the creamery and 
has conducted it continuously since., Because of the excellence of the 
products, prompt service and courteous treatment, Mr. Stahl has built 
the business up to gratifying proportions and it is now numbered 
among the best creameries in this section of the state. Mr. Stahl man- 
ufactures the Rose brand of butter and supplies the major portion of 
Montpelier with milk. 

Mr. Stahl has been successful in all his business affairs and has 
accumulated some valuable property, being the owner of the creamery 
building, his own residence and eighty acres of excellent farm land 
in Superior Township, about two miles west of Montpelier. He is 
also a stockholder in the Montpelier National Bank. 

Mr. Stahl was married in March, 1908, to Florence Rickey, of 
Montpelier, and they are the parents of seven children, Estel, Ken- 
neth, Blanche, Alva, May, Georgia and Lloyd. Mr. Stahl and his 


128 HISTORY ‘OR WILEIAMS COUNTY 


family are identified with the Methodist Episcopal and Presbyterian 
churches, while, politically, he gives his support to the republican party. 
Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, belong- 
ing to Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council at Montpelier and to Defiance 
Commandery, No. 30, Knights Templar, at Defiance, Ohio. He is 
public spirited and takes a keen interest in affairs affecting the com- 
munity, rendering effective service as a member of the board of public 
service of the Village of Montpelier. In relation to life’s activities he 
has performed his full part and today he occupies an enviable position 
in the confidence and esteem of the people. 


Ora R. Manninc.—Among the traveling salesmen identified with 
the automobile industry who make their homes in Williams County, 
one who is achieving success in his chosen field of endeavor is Ora 
R. Manning, whose residence is at Pioneer. Mr. Manning is a native 
of Deerfield, Michigan, born January 17, 1875, and received a district 
and public school education in his native place. As a young man he 
went to Toledo, Ohio, where he found employment in the service 
of the Interurban Electric Railway, and continued to be, identified 
therewith until he took up the handling of Hudson automobiles, which 
he followed for seven years, the while he handled a full line of candy 
selling to the trade. In 1920 he gave up the automobile business and is 
now devoting his entire time to selling of candy on the road. 

On September 4, 1907, Mr. Manning was united in marriage with 
Miss Alice M. Bartoe, who was born in Williams County, Ohio, reared 
in Madison Township, and educated in the public schools of Pioneer. 
She is a daughter of William and Josephine (Anderson) Bartoe, her 
father being a native of Wayne County, Ohio, born near Wooster, 
in 1840. He was reared near Reedsburg, where he married Josephine 
Anderson, who was born in Wayne County, Ohio, and educated there 
and at Mount Vernon. They came to Williams County in 1865 and 
engaged in farming, their home being made at Pioneer. Three chil- 
dren were born to them: Viola, who is the wife of F. L. Masters, of 
Seattle, Washington; Alice M., and Clara, the wife of J. C. Ewing, 
of Pioneer. Mr. and Mrs. Manning have no children of their own, 
but are rearing an adopted son, James Lewis, who is now attending 
the public school at Pioneer. 

Mr. Manning is a member of Pioneer Lodge No. 441, Free and 
Accepted Masons. The modern Manning home is located at Pio- 
neer, in addition to which Mrs. Manning is the owner of 131 acres 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 129 


of valuable farming land in Madison Township. Both Mr. and 
Mrs. Manning are highly esteemed at Pioneer, where they have numer- 
ous warm and appreciative friends. 


Byron S. WitiiamMs.—Eagle Creek Farm in Superior Township 
has always been the home of its owner, Byron S. Williams. He was 
born May 7, 1873, and is a son of William and Mary (Simpson) Wil- 
liams. There are eighty acres in Eagle Creek Farm, and Mr. Williams 
combines farming and the livestock business there. 

William Williams was born September 9, 1833, in Tuscarawas 
County, and Mrs. Williams was born January 13, 1844, in Holmes 
county. As a young girl she came to Williams County in 1847 with 
her parents, and four years later Mr. Williams came to the community. 
They both grew up in Williams County. In his young manhood he 
was a great chopper and could easily cut and cord four cords of wood 
in a day. He owned forty acres of land in Florence Township and 
cleared it alone. He bought the eighty where the son, Byron S. Wil- 
liams now lives—Eagle Creek Farm—and chopped off the timber on 
a spot where he wanted to build a log house. In his time he wielded 
the ax and conquered the forest. 

The Williams family are members of Eagle Creek Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, and William Williams was a strict church member, 
always standing for the right in everything. He was a republican in 
his political conviction. Three children of the William Williams 
family are living, A. D. 1920. Alsinas Williams of Superior Town- 
ship is a deputy sheriff of Williams County. Harriet is the wife of 
Horace K. Brundyge, and Byron S. Williams who enrolls the family 
in the “History of Williams County.” There was another daughter, 
Clara B. Williams. 

Byron S. Williams has always lived at Eagle Creek Farm. On 
April 1, 1899, he married Eliza Houk. She was born July 2, 1878, 
in Florence Township, and he brought her at once to Eagle Creek 
Farm. Their children are: Ernest W., Wayne A., and Leland O., 
in Montpelier, and Theresa M.-and Keith B. at home with the par- 
ents. Mr. Williams is a general farmer and combines the livestock 
business with it. He is one of the progressive men in the community. 


C. Rome Dustin.—The County of Williams numbers among its 
citizens many skillful physicians, lawyers, manufacturers and business 
men of more than local reputation; while proud of them, she is not 
lacking in others who have achieved distinction in callings requiring 

Vol. 1—9 tee 


130 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


intellectual abilities of high order: Among the latter, C. Rome Dustin, 
the popular and efficient superintendent of the Montpelier public 
schools, occupies a deservedly conspicuous place. No one is more en- 
titled to the thoughtful consideration of a free and enlightened people 
than he who shapes and directs the minds of the young, adds to the 
value of their intellectual treasures and moulds their characters. This 
is pre-eminently the mission of the faithful and conscientious teacher 
and to such noble work is the life of the subject of this sketch devoted. 

C. Rome Dustin was born near Kunkle, Madison Township, Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, on July 26, 1887, and is a son of John H. and 
Mary W. (Barckley) Dustin. The father was born near West Unity, 
Ohio, on February 16, 1851, and the mother was born at Decatur, 
Indiana, on January 17, 1854, while their marriage occurred in Wil- 
~liams County, Ohio. They both were high school graduates and held 
to high ideals in educational matters. John H. Dustin also attended 
normal school and became a successful and popular teacher in the 
public schools of Williams County, teaching first in Madison Town- 
ship and later becoming principal of the schools at Kunkle. Mrs. 
Dustin also taught one term of school prior to her marriage. They 
were members of the Church of God and in politics Mr. Dustin gave 
his support to the democratic party. They became the parents of five 
children, three of whom are living, namely: Kahl, who graduated 
from high school and then won his degree of Bachelor of Arts at 
Findlay (Ohio) College, is now a minister of the Church of God at 
Columbia City, Indiana; Cleveland R., who is a graduate of the Tri- 
State Normal College at Angola, Indiana, is now superintendent of 
schools at Kunkle; C. Rome, the subject of this review. 

C. Rome Dustin received his elementary education in the public 
schools of this county; graduating from the high school, and then 
entered the Tri-State Normal College, at Angola, Indiana, where he 
was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science, following 
which he took special work in the Ohio University and Teachers’ 
College, N. Y. He then engaged in teaching school, his first work - 
being in Bridgewater and Superior Townships, this county, following 
which he had the grammar school at Pioneer for three years. During 
the following year and a half he was principal of the Kunkle school 
and then for six years was principal of the Montpelier High School. 
On May 31, 1918, Mr. Dustin resigned the latter position and entered 
the Naval Officers Training School, at the Municipal Pier, Chicago, 
and from there he was sent to Chicago University for three weeks 
of special training. He was then transferred to the United States 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 131 


steamship Commodore, stationed at Grant Park Chicago, where he 
remained until October, 1918, when he was transferred to the Pier. 
On November 3, he was selected as one of the twenty-five who were 
to be sent to Pelham Bay, New York, but before sailing he was stricken 
with an attack of the “flu,” which necessitated his being sent to a 
hospital. After his recovery, he received a furlough and on December 
6, 1918, he was honorably discharged from the service. He returned 
home and finished the year as a teacher at Kunkle, and the following 
year was elected superintendent of the Montpelier schools, in which 
position he is now serving. Prof. Dustin possesses in an eminent 
degree the essential qualifications of the successful educator and 
has rendered appreciated service in every position which he has filled. 

On August 2, 1917, Mr. Dustin was married to Ruth Elder, of 
Pioneer, Ohio. Mrs. Dustin is a graduate of Pioneer High School, 
and the State Normal School at Oxford, Ohio, and taught in the 
public schools for two years prior to her marriage. To them has 
been born a son, Richard E., born on August 14, 1919. 

Mr. Dustin is a member of the Church of God at Deerlick, Ohio, 
and his political support is given to the democratic party. Although 
a quiet and unassuming man, Mr. Dustin has contributed to the civic, 
moral and educational advancement of his community, while his admir- 
able qualities of head and heart have won for him the esteem and 
confidence of the circles in which he moves. 


Howarp M. Byatt, M. D.—For many years the name of Dr. 
Howard M. Byall, of Montpelier, has been a household word in Wil- 
liams County, where he has built up a large and lucrative practice, 
being numbered among the representative citizens of this locality, 
having ever been known as an able, reliable and progressive physician 
and patriotic in citizenship. He is esteemed for these commendable 
traits, together with his cordial disposition and genuine worth, and 
although he has been more or less active in various relations with 
his fellowmen, his name stands out more prominently in connec- 
tion with the medical profession, in which he has long been a promi- 
nent figure. 

Howard M. Byall was born in Jackson Township, Wells County, 
Indiana, and is a son of John and Magdalena (Keagle) Byall. The 
father was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on June 23, 1817, and the 
mother in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1827. They 
were married in Wayne County, Ohio, and in September, 1846, went 
to Wells County, Indiana, where land had been entered by James 


132 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Byall, who was a veteran of the War of 1812. This land, comprising 
160 acres, was located in the midst of dense timber and here John 
Byall settled and devoted himself to the task of clearing the land and 
putting it in shape for cultivation. He succeeded in creating a good 
farm and here he and his good wife spent the remainder of their 
days, his death occurring in 1883, and that of his wife on January 25, 
1881. John Byall was a democrat in his political views and he became 
one of the leading citizens of Wells County, taking an active part in 
public affairs and holding the office of justice of the peace for many 
years. “He was a member of the Universalist Church and his wife 
was a Lutheran in her religious belief. They became the parents 
of nine children, six of whom grew to maturity, and four are still 
living, namely: Alexander, of Jackson Township, Wells County, 
Indiana; Oscar, of the same locality; Henry, who lives in Kansas, 
and Howard M., of this review. 

Howard M. Byall was reared on the parental farmstead in Wells 
County, Indiana, and attended the public schools, completing his ele- 
mental studies in the high school at Bluffton, Indiana. He then was 
a student during four terms in Ridgeville College, Ridgeville, Indiana, 
and one term at Fort Wayne College, Fort Wayne, Indiana. He then 
determined to make the practice of medicine his life work and matricu- 
lated in Rush Medical College, of Chicago, where he was graduated 
in 1884, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He first located in 
the practice of his profession at Metz, Steuben County, Indiana, 
in partnership with Dr. T. F. Wood, but two years later he moved 
to Kunkle, Ohio, where he was engaged in the practice for six years.” 
in 1892 Doctor Byall came to Montpelier and has remained here. 
ever since, and has enjoyed a large and representative patronage COV- - 
ering a wide range of the surrounding country. In his chosen field ' 
of endeavor, Doctor Byall has achieved success such as compara- 
tively few attain and his eminent standing among the leading medical 
‘men of Williams County has been duly recognized and appreciated 
not only in Montpelier, the town long honored by his citizenship, but 
also throughout this and surrounding counties. As a citizen he has 
easily ranked with the most influential of his compeers in affairs 
looking towards the advancement and betterment of his community. 
He is a stockholder and director in the Montpelier National Bank, 
one of the strong and influential banks of the county. This bank is 
capitalized at $60,000, with a surplus of $15,000 and resources of 
$700,000. The officers are as follows: J. D. Hill, president; Jerry 
Drake, vice president ; Orley H. Bowen, cashier; W. P. Tressler, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 133. 


‘assistant cashier, and the following additional directors, J. D. Hill, 
A. P. Kothenberger, W. L. Hogue, D. G. Tressler, Howard M. Byall, 
Leon Miller, W. S. Boone, Jerry Drake, Nelson Cumms, Jobe Hod- 
son and C. L. Bowen. Doctor Byall is also the owner of some valuable 
real estate in Montpelier. 

In 1892, Doctor Byall was married to Martha J. Foltz, of Mont- 
pelier, who was born and reared in Huron County, Ohio. Doctor 
and Mrs. Byall are active members of the Presbyterian Church, of 
which society he is one of the trustees. Fraternally he is a member 
of Montpelier Lodge, No. 547, Free and Accepted Masons. Politically, 
he is an earnest supporter of the democratic party and served two 
years as coroner of Williams County. The Doctor holds professional 
membership with the Williams County Medical Society, the_ Ohio 
State Medical Society, and holds a fellowship certificate of the Amer- 
ican Medical Association. Doctor Byall’s life has been characterized 
not only by the most adroit professional ability, but also by the most 
profound human sympathy which overleaped mere sentiment to 
become an actuating motive, for when a youth he realized that there 
is no honor not founded on genuine worth, that there is a vital pur- 
pose in life and that the best and highest accomplishment must come 
from a well trained mind and an altruistic heart. Older men in the 
profession here relied on his judgment and younger ones frequently 
have sought his counsel, all admitting his eminence. Because of his 
ability and his sterling qualities of character, he enjoys the confidence 
and esteem of the entire community. 


Cuartes E. Hause.—One of the leading citizens of Superior 
Township, Williams County, is the gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch, who has for many years been considered one of the successful 
and enterprising farmers of his section of the county. Those who 
know him best will readily acquiesce in the statement that many ele- 
ments of a solid and practical nature are united in his composition 
and which through a series of years have gained for him the favor- 
able opinion of his fellow citizens. 

Charles E. Hause, who lives on an excellent farm one mile south 
of Montpelier, was born in Seneca County, Ohio, on October 11, 
1854, and is the son of Samuel and Margaret (Beard) Hause. These 
parents were both natives of Hagerstown, Maryland, where they were 
reared. Later they came to Clark County, Ohio, where they were 
married, moving sometime later to Seneca County, this state. Once 
more they returned to Clark County, and again made their home in 


134 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY ' 


Seneca County, where they lived until 1859, when they came to Wil- 
liams County, locating in Superior Township, one mile south and 
two miles west of Montpelier. After living there a short time, Sam- 
uel Hause built a log cabin a half mile north of his former location, 
where he cleared a farm, and there they spent the remainder of their 
lives. They were members of the English Lutheran Church. In poli- 
tics, Mr. Hause was first a republican, but later gave his support to 
the democratic party. He was prominent in the affairs of his com- 
munity and served as trustee of Superior Township. To him and 
his wife were born six children, namely: Charles E., the immediate 
subject of this review; William H., a retired farmer now living in 
Montpelier; Daniel K., a farmer in Superior Township; Celia, the 
wife of George McIntosh, who lives on the old homestead; Albert 
C., who is engaged in the mercantile business in Montpelier; Otis B., 
who is engaged in farming in Michigan. 

Charles E. Hause spent his boyhood days on the parental farm in 
Superior Township and attended the district schools of that neighbor- 
hood. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1876, when he 
settled in a farm in Superior Township, where he remained until 
1886, when he moved to the farm where he now resides and to the 
cultivation of which he has since devoted his energies. A thoroughly 
practical agriculturist, he has achieved a distinctive success in his 
vocation and is numbered among the progressive farmers of his 
township. He carried on general farming operations and stock raising 
and maintains the place at a high standard of cultivation. 

On December 30, 1876, Mr. Hause was married to Hannah Kent, 
who was born on May 9, 1858, on the farm where she and her hus- 
band now live. She is the daughter of Daniel and Margaret (Kollar) 
Kent, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Tusca- 
rawas County, Ohio. They both moved to Williams County, were mar- 
ried here and settled on the farm in Superior Township, which was 
entered by the Kent family and has always remained in the family. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Hause has been born a daughter, Bertha L., who 
attended the Montpelier High School, received a license to teach 
school, and is now living in Toledo, Ohio. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hause are earnest members of the English Lutheran 
Church, and in politics Mr. Hause is a supporter of the republican 
party. He is a member of Superior Lodge, No. 269, Knights of 
- Pythias, and is a member of the grand lodge. Mrs. Hause is a mem- 
ber of the Pythian Sisters,.of which she is a past chief and member 
of the grand lodge, and is also a member of the Woman’s Benefit 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 135 


Association, in which’ she served as captain of the degree staff for 
seven years. Mr. Hause has worked hard and knows how to appre- 
ciate the true dignity of labor. He is essentially a man of affairs, 
sound judgment and keen discernment, and by his industry and sturdy 
integrity he has won and retains the confidence and esteem of all 
classes. 


Arpert C. Hause, secretary of the Williams County Agricultural 
Society, has played an active part in commercial and other affairs in 
the county for a number of years, and is a shoe merchant at Mont- 
pelier. 

He was born in Superior Township, Williams County, March 6, 
1871, son of Samuel and Margaret (Beard) Hause. His father was 
born at Hagerstown, Maryland, October 4, 1831, and the mother was 
born in the same locality December 26, 1832. They were reared in 
Seneca County, Ohio, and after their marriage settled on a farm in 
that county. Somewhat later they moved to Williams County, and 
later went to Clark County, Ohio. The father spent his active life as 
a farmer, and finally returned to Williams County and established a 
home two and a half miles southwest of Montpelier. Both were 
charter members of the English Lutheran Church at Mount Zion, 
and the father was for many years an elder. As a democrat he was 
elected a trustee of Superior Township. The children were Charles 
E. of Superior Township; William H., a retired farmer at Mont- 
pelier; Daniel K., who lives on the old homestead; Clara, wife of 
George McIntosh of Superior Township; Albert C.; and Otis B., of 
Hillsdale County, Michigan. 

Albert C. Hause grew up on the home farm, and supplemented 
his district school education in the Tri-State College at Angola, Indi- 
ana, and the Ohio Northern University at Ada. He graduated from 
the Nelson Business College at Springfield, Ohio. Returning to the 
farm January 1, 1896, he soon afterward engaged in the implement, 
seed and wool business as a member of the firm Martin & Hause. 
After a year he bought out his partner, and continued active in the 
business for five years longer. He then sold and became assistant 
cashier of the First National Bank, and five years later was made 
cashier. Mr. Hause resigned from the bank in 1907 to engage in 
the shoe business with C. J. Bohner under the name Bohner & Hause. 
This is a successful firm at Montpelier where both members are 
prominent in civic as well as business activities. 


136 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


April 6, 1898, Mr. Hause married Dell E. Pressler, daughter of 
Arch Pressler. She was born in Superior Township February 9, 
1871, and finished her education in the Hillsdale College of Music. 
They have one son, R. Reginald, born May 30, 1905. Mrs. Hause is 
a member of the Methodist Church. He is affiliated with Montpelier 
Lodge, No. 547, Free and Accepted Masons, Montpelier Chapter, No. 
184, Royal Arch Masons, Montpelier Council, No. 102, Royal and 
Select Masters, and he and his wife are affiliated with the Eastern 
Star. He is a past master, past high priest and past worthy patron of 
the several branches of Masonry. Mr. Hause was elected as a demo- 
crat to the office of treasurer of Montpelier, and is now in his sixth 
year as secretary of the Country Agricultural Society. ; 


Guy Wisman.—The purpose of biography is to preserve the 
records of successful men for the edification of succeeding genera- 
tions, and thus the lesson of biography may be far-reaching to an 
extent not superficially evident. A man’s reputation is the property 
of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every 
human being either submits to or rises above the controlling influence 
which touches, guides or misdirects others. The career of Guy Wis- 
man, well-known business man of Montpelier, is of that class of enter- 
prising citizens whose example is calculated to be an incentive to 
others, for his efforts have met with a fair measure of success in 
life’s affairs. 

Guy Wisman, president and manager of the Farmers Superior 
Co-operative Association, is a native son of Williams County, having 
been born in Superior Township on January 28, 1866, and is a son 
of James and Hannah (McHenry) Wisman, the former a native of 
Columbiana County, Ohio, and the latter, of Ashland County, this 
state. They were married after their removal to Williams County 
and settled on a farm in Superior Township, where they spent the 
remainder of their lives. They were members of the Presbyterian 
Church and in politics Mr. Wisman was a democrat. They became the 
parents of nine children, of which number five are now living, namely: 
Guy, the subject of this sketch; E. C., who is a veterinary surgeon 
by profession, and is the present postmaster of Bryan; Viola, who 
is the wife of C. E. Blue, a teacher in the schools of Cleveland, Ohio; 
M. J., of Kansas City, Missouri; H. M., also of Kansas City. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the parental farmstead 
and secured his educational training in the district schools of Superior 
Township. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1889, when 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 137 


he located on a farm, which engaged his attention until June 3, 1919, 
when he came to Montpelier as manager of the Farmers Co-operative 
Association, which position he is still filling to the entire satisfaction 
of the members of the association. He is a man of good business 
ability and gives the best of his efforts to the business, of which he 
is president. He is the owner of 140 acres of splendid land in Supe- 
rior Township, on which he raises a general line of crops, but he 
gives special attention to the dairy business, the products of his farm 
bearing a widespread reputation for high quality, his stock being 
highly bred and well cared for. 

In 1889 Mr. Wisman was married to Roberta Gilcher and they 
have become the parents of three children, namely: Clyde E., who 
formerly engaged in teaching school, is now a farmer in Superior 
Township; H. H. is assistant cashier of the Farmers and Merchants 
Bank, at Montpelier; Silvia, who is a graduate of the Bryan High 
School, is teaching in the public schools of Montpelier. 

Politically, Mr. Wisman gives his support to the democratic party 
and takes a keen interest in local public affairs, having served as trus- 
tee of Superior Township and as a member of the school board. His 
chief characteristics seem to be fidelity of purpose, keenness of per- 
ception, unswerving integrity and sound common sense, which have 
earned for him the esteem of the entire community. 


Leon P. CuHarpiot.—Well trained in modern business ways and 
methods, Leon P. Charpiot is conspicuously identified with the 
advancement of the mercantile prosperity of West Unity, being a 
popular and successful hardware merchant of that place, and for 
many years has been actively associated with its highest and best inter- 
ests as a public official, having served most satisfactorily in various 
township and city offices. A son of Peter Charpiot, he was born, 
August 30, 1863, in Stryker, this county, of French ancestry on both 
sides of the house. 

Born and bred in France, Peter Charpiot acquired a good educa- 
tion in his native land, and as a young man learned the tinner’s trade. 
Soon after his marriage with Catherine Pengeot, he immigrated to this 
country with his bride, locating in Stryker, Ohio, where he followed 
his trade for a while, later embarking in the hardware business. Ener- 
getic and far-seeing, he subsequently established a hardware store 
in West Unity, and placed it in charge of his son, Leon P. Charpiot, 
the subject of this brief personal record. 

Brought up and educated in Stryker, Leon P. Charpiot left school 


138 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


at the age of fourteen years to become a clerk in his father’s estab- 
lishment, and while yet young had obtained a practical insight into 
the business with which he has since been identified, becoming thor- 
oughly acquainted with its every detail. Thus equipped, he came to 
West Unity in 1880 to assume the management of his father’s store, 
and. has since built up an extensive and highly remunerative trade, his 
ability, integrity and upright dealings winning him an extensive patron- 
age. At one time, Mr. Charpiot was also engaged in the manufacture 
of oars, at that time a paying industry. 

In 1887 Mr. Charpiot was united in marriage with Edith McLaugh- 
lin, a native of Fulton County, Ohio, and to them three children have 
been born, namely: Peter, a graduate of the West Unity High School 
is engaged in farming in Jefferson Township; Charles, who was grad- 
uated from the West Unity High School and from the University of 
Michigan, is engaged in the hardware business with his father, in 
Stryker; and Leon, a student in the local high school. One of the 
leading members of the democratic party, Mr. Charpiot has contributed 
his full share in advancing the interests of the community, having 
served ably as township trustee, councilman, and as mayor of West 
Unity, performing the duties devolving upon him faithfully and accept- | 
ably to all concerned. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens 
Telephone Company, and is a member of its board of directors. 


J. C. Beersower.—In such men as J. C. Beerbower, a successful 
farmer of Pulaski Township, Williams County, there is peculiar satis- 
faction in offering their life histories—justification for the compilation 
of works of this character—not that their lives have been such as to 
gain them particularly wide notoriety or the admiring plaudits of 
men, but that they have been true to every trust reposed in them 
and have shown such attributes of character as entitled them to the 
regard of all. 

J. C. Beerbower, whose splendid farm lies just south of the cor- 
poration line, on South Main Street, Bryan, was born in Jefferson 
Township, this county, on December 24, 1858, and is the son of 
Jacob F. and Susan (Snyder) Beerbower. Jacob F. Beerbower was 
born in Wayne County, Ohio, in June, 1822, and was a son of Jacob 
Beerbower, who was born in Germany. The latter came to the United 
States when but a boy and located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where 
he remained for a time, subsequently moving to Wayne County, Ohio. 
He had been married in Philadelphia and on the long and tiring trip 
to the new home in the West his wife rode a three-year-old colt and 
carried in her arms a babe, James, now deceased, while the father 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 139 


walked by her side and led the colt. They settled near Apple Creek, 
where they spent the remainder of their lives. There their son Jacob 
F. grew to manhood and attended the comparatively primitive schools 
of that period. In 1840 he came to Williams County and located on 
a farm in Jefferson Township, where he lived for several years. Sell- 
ing that place, he moved to another farm in the southeastern part of 
_ the township, which he had bought, and there he devoted himself to 
agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in June, 1910. 
He was survived but a few months by his widow, who died in October 
of the same year. They were active members of the Church of God, 
will read in the Scriptures, and the purity of their daily lives attested 
to their religious faith and purpose. They became the parents of 
eight children, of which number six still survive, namely: Jesse W., 
of Pulaski Township; Mary J., the wife of Harrison Hester, of Bryan; 
Jonathan, who is engaged in the grocery business in Conneaut, Ohio; 
Docia, the wife of Orlando Benner, of Bryan; J. C. is the immediate 
subject of this sketch; Sarah is unmarried and lives with the subject; 
Izora, who was the wife of W. W. Benner, is deceased. 

J. C. Beerbower was reared on the paternal farmstead in section 
24, Jefferson Township, and attended the district schools until eighteen 
years old. He remained with his parents and operated the home farm 
for them until their deaths, when he was chosen administrator of the 
estate. He bought the interests of the other heirs in the place, and 
with his sister Sarah, remained there a year. At the end of that 
time he sold the farm and bought the land on which he now lives. 
He carries on a general line of farming and also gives some attention 
to the raising of high-grade poultry, and in both lines of effort he 
has been rewarded with a very gratifying degree of success. Besides 
his farm interests, Mr. Beerbower is also a stockholder in the Farmers 
Co-operative Association of Bryan. Politically, he gives his earnest 
support to the republican party, though he does not take a very active 
part in local public affairs. However, he is public spirited and con- 
sistently gives his support to all worthy movements for the advance- 
ment of the public welfare. Because of his business success and his 
sterling personal qualities, he enjoys the confidence and esteem of 
the entire community. 


Watter S. Uncer, M. D.—For almost a quarter of a century the 
medical profession has been ably represented at Melbern, Ohio, by 
Dr. Walter S. Unger, who in other ways also is a representative man 
of Williams County. Doctor Unger was born at Canton, Ohio, August 
11, 1874, and is a son of J. Wesley and Charity (Miller) Unger. 


140 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


J. Wesley Unger, a veteran of the Civil war and for many years 
prominent in the livestock business in Williams County, now lives 
retired at Melbern. He was born in Stark County, Ohio, January 9, 
1840. His parents, the paternal grandparents of Doctor Unger, were 
George and Elizabeth (Smith) Unger, the former of whom came to 
Ohio from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1826. He married 
Elizabeth Smith in Stark County, of which she was a native, and they 
had five children, namely: J. Wesley; George, a farmer in Stark 
County ; Amanda, of St. Cloud, Florida; John, of Stark County, and 
one who is deceased. George Unger worked at the shoemaking trade 
when a young man but later became a farmer near Canton, Ohio. J. 
Wesley Unger was reared in Stark County, attended the district 
schools and assisted his father on the farm and taught school in Stark 
County five years. He married Lydia A. Meese who, at death, left 
two daughters, Emma and Minnie. His second marriage was to 
Charity Miller, who was born near Wolf Lake, in Noble County, 
Indiana. They had one child born to them, Walter S., physician and 
surgeon at Mintern. The third marriage of J. Wesley Unger took 
place June 11, 1911, to Inez Estes, who was born in April, 1856, near 
Boston, Massachusetts, and educated in that state. 

Mr. Unger served 120 days in the Civil war, enlisting in 1864 in 
Company E, 162nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In 1874 he came to 
Edgerton and went into the livestock shipping and hay business, and 
is credited with having bought, baled and shipped the first hay out of 
the county. In politics he has always been a republican, and is a 
member of the H. G. Blake Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of 
Medina. Mr. and Mrs. Unger are very widely known and much 
esteemed. 

Walter S. Unger was brought to Williams County in his infancy 
and was reared at Edgerton, where he attended the public schools. 
After his high school course he entered the Tri-State College, at 
Angola, Indiana, where he completed a commercial course on February 
4, 1894. During the following year he studied medicine in the Toledo 
Medical College, subsequently entering the medical department of the 
Michigan College of Medicine and Surgery of Detroit, Michigan, from 
which he was graduated March 23, 1897. On June 28, 1897, he 
entered into medical practice at Melbern, Ohio, where he has remained, 
becoming notable in his profession in Williams County. 

Doctor Unger was united in marriage on June 18, 1898, to Miss Isola 
Burger, of Hicksville, Ohio, where she was reared and educated. They 
have two children, namely: Paul W.,.who was born April 18, 1899, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 141 


was graduated from the Bryan High School and at present is a stu- 
dent in the Ohio State University at Columbus; and Doris, who was 
born March 4, 1902, graduated from Bryan High School with the 
class of i920. Doctor Unger and his family are members of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church. He has large real estate interests at Melbern 
and owns 300 acres of fine farm land in Center Township, Williams 
County. He has been one of the progressive citizens of the county, 
taking an interest in a number of worthy enterprises and being par- 
ticularly useful in bringing about the fine telephone service enjoyed, 
being vice president and one of the directors of the Edgerton Tele- 
phone Company. He has always been firm in his support of the repub- 
lican party as an earnest citizen, but has had no inclination nor has 
found time to accept any public office. He belongs to the Masonic 
lodge at Edgerton, Ohio. 


Epwarp L. Fix.—A business that has done much to build up the 
commercial importance of Melbern, Ohio, is the handling and storage 
of grain, made possible by the erection and operation of great ele- 
vators. Immense capital is invested in this business, the leading repre- 
sentatives of which at Melbern are John H. Nihart and Edward L. 
Fix, operating as the firm of Nihart & Fix. 

Edward L. Fix was born one mile west of Melbern, March 23, 
1883, and is a son of Daniel and Christina (Foster) Fix, both of 
whom were born in Germany and accompanied their respective parents 
to the United States. At first the father worked on the New York 
Central Railroad, then was married at Bryan, Ohio, bought land in 
Center Township, Williams County, and they passed the rest of their 
lives there. Six children were born to them, namely: Elizabeth, 
who is deceased; Yosty, who is the wife of Grant Christ; Emma, who 
is the wife of Charles Miller; Callie, who is the “wife of Charles 
Glowe; Birdie, who is the wife of Fred Langle; and Edward L. The 
parents were members of the German Lutheran Church. 

Edward L. Fix attended the public schools of Center Township 
and remained on the home farm with his father until he was twenty- 
five years of age, devoting his entire attention to farm industries in 
his native township until he formed a partnership in the elevator 
business with John H. Nihart. In January, 1918, this firm built 
their large elevators at Melbern and the business is in a very pros- 
perous condition, both partners having been grain growers and grain 
handlers almost all their lives. Mr. Fix still owns his farm of 130 
acres which is situated in Center Township. 


142 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


In 1907 Mr. Fix was united in marriage to Miss Effie Clay, who 
was born in Center Township, and they have three children, namely: 
Vera, William and Cleo. Mr. and Mrs. Fix are active members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church at. Melbern. As was his father, Mr. 
Fix is ail earnest supporter of the democratic party and quite influ- 
ential through Center Township, where he served six years as a 
member of the school board. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias 
and has local membership at Bryan, Ohio. 


Witt1am M. Denman, M. D—A man of scholarly attainments, 
possessing excellent business and financial ability, William M. Denman, 
M. D., a retired physician, banker and farmer, of West Unity, Wil- 
liams County, may well claim the title of “Honorable,” as he has 
served ably in both branches of the State Legislature. A son of E. G. 
Denman, he was born, September 16, 1845, in Knox County, Ohio, 
coming on both sides of the house of honored pioneer ancestry. 

Born and bred in Knox County, Ohio, E. G. Denman spent his 
early life in that locality, and there married Almira Morrison, one 
of his youthful companions. Choosing the free and independent occu- 
pation by which the early pioneers of that county earned their liveli- 
hood, he began life as a farmer in his native township, remaining 
there a number of seasons after his marriage. Coming to Williams 
County in 1851, he bought land near West Unity, and on the farm 
which he redeemed from its primitive condition resided until his 
death. His wife outlived him, and spent her last days in West Unity. 
A man of strong individuality, energetic and progressive, he was an 
active member of the democratic party, and in addition to serving 
one term as county treasurer represented his district two terms, of 
two years each, in the State Legislature. To him and his wife, four 
children were born, William M., the special subject of this skech, 
being the only one of the family now living. Another of the sons, 
J. K. Denman, M. D., was engaged in the practice of his profession 
at Sherwood, Ohio, several years. 

Brought up on the home farm, William M. Denman laid a sub- 
stantial foundation for his future education in the district schools, 
and subsequently completed a college course in Adrian, Michigan. 
Deciding upon a professional career, as was natural to a man of his 
mental calibre, he entered the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, 
Ohio, and was there graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine 
in 1870. Locating immediately in Bridgewater, Williams County, Doc- 
tor Denman remained there a year, and in 1872 came to West Unity, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 143 


where he has since resided. An eminently able and skilful physician, 
the doctor built up an extensive and lucrative practice in the town 
and surrounding country, being one of the busiest and most popular 
physicians in this part of the county. 

Possessing good business ability and judgment, Doctor Denman has 
acquired property of value, as a landholder owning thirty acres of 
land in Brady Township, and 160 acres in Jefferson Township. Since 
1896 the doctor has served as president of the West Unity Banking 
Company, one of the more substantial financial organizations of this 
part of the county, and for the past twenty-two years has been presi- 
dent of the Brady Fire Insurance Company. 

He is a prominent member of the democratic party, and in addition 
to having served one term in the seventy-fourth general assembly was 
for two terms a member of the seventy-seventh session of the State 
Senate. 

Doctor Denman married, September 30, 1875, Mary Skiles, of 
Huntington, a woman of culture and refinement. Both he and his wife 
are worthy members of the Presbyterian Church, the doctor being 
now president of its official board. A thirty-second degree Mason, 
he is a member of Superior Lodge, No. 179, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons; of Northwest Chapter, at Bryan, Ohio; of 
Defiance Commandery, No. 30, Knights Templar; and is one of 
the charter members of Toledo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the 
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Mrs. Denman is a charter member of 
the Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star to which both she and 
the doctor belong, and of which she is a past worthy matron, while 
he is a past worthy patron. 


Epwin STENGER—A substantial representative of the farming and 
stock raising interests of Williams County, Edwin Stenger also fur- 
nishes an example of the value of progressiveness and enterprise when 
applied to vocations connected with the soil, and his excellent property, 
lying four miles west of Bryan, in Center Township, gives excellent 
evidence of his good management. 

Mr. Stenger was born in Elkhart County, Indiana, January 7 
1865, a son of George W. and Mary A. (Dickerhoff) Stenger, the 
former born in Wayne County, Ohio, October 19, 1841, and the latter 
in Stark County, this state, August 28, 1838. In young manhood, 
George W. Stenger resided in Defiance County for a short period, 
but later moved to Center Township, Williams County, where he made 
his home during the remainder of his active career. He is now living 


144 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


at Hicksville, in retirement, although he still takes a keen and intel- 
ligent interest in public affairs, being a stanch democrat in politics. 
He and his wife have been worthy God-fearing people and church 
people and have had five children: Edwin; Abbie A. and Maggie 
Viola, twins, the latter of whom is deceased; Amos F., a farmer of 
Superior Township, Williams County; and Alice, the wife of George 
Brown, a farmer of Defiance County at Hicksville. Abbie A. is the 
wife of Eugene Long of Akron, Ohio. 

Edwin Stenger received a public school education and was reared 
on the home farm where he remained until his marriage at the age 
of twenty-nine years, January 25, 1894, to Miss Della M. Stauffer. 
She was born in Center Township, where she was educated in the 
public schools, a daughter of A. C. and Marian Stauffer. Following 
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Stenger started their careers as occupants 
of a rented farm, on which they remained about twelve years, then 
purchasing a piece of land located in Superior Township, Williams 
County. This they continued to operate until three years later, when 
they purchased their present farm in Center Township. Here they 
have 160 acres in sections 9 and 10, which has been put under a high 
state of cultivation by Mr. Stenger, a man of much industry and agri- 
cultural ability. In addition to carrying on general farming operations, 
he is a breeder of registered Holstein cattle and is considered a shrewd 
judge of livestock. 

Fraternally, Mr. Stenger is affiliated with Florence Lodge, No. 
502, Knights of Pythias, of which he is past chancellor and deputy 
grand chancellor of Williams County, and has attended the grand 
lodge. Mrs. Stenger belongs to Blakeley Temple, Pythian Sisters. Mr. 
Stenger’s political opinions make him a democrat, a ticket on which 
he has been elected to the office of clerk of Center Township for four 
years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Stenger are the parents of seven children: Clinton 
F., a graduate of the Bryan High School, who is a teacher in the 
schools of Center Township, served as a bugler in the United States 
Army and was in France for four months during the World war; 
Marian M., who is unmarried and makes her home with her parents, 
is a graduate of the public schools; Jennie B., a graduate of the Bryan 
High School, who is teaching school in Center Township; Susanna, a 
graduate of Bryan High School; Zenith E., who is attending that 
school; and Gladys M., who is attending the graded schools. The 
sixth child in order of birth, George A., is deceased. Mr. Stenger 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 145 


has various business interests and is a stockholder in the Farmers Co- 
operative Elevator Company at Bryan and of the Melbern Telephorie 
Company. 


Watter S. Morrow.—A life-long resident of Williams County, 
Walter S. Morrow was for many years actively engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits and having, by energetic toil, thrift, and good manage- 
ment, acquired a handsome competency, is now living retired from 
farming in Bryan, devoting his time to the advancement of the inter- 
ests of the Home Building Association, of which he is a director. A 
son of David Morrow, he was born, November 14, 1855, in Center 
Township, on a farm situated two miles northwest of Bryan. 

Born in Pennsylvania, David Morrow came with his parents to 
Ohio in childhood, and was brought up in Wayne County, his home 
having been located between Wooster and Orrville. After his mar- 
riage he lived in that locality for a while, but in 1854 came to Williams 
County, and having bought a farm near Bryan, there resided 
during the remainder of his life. A man of strong personality, he 
became prominent in local affairs, and a leader in the establishment 
of beneficial enterprises. He was a charter member of the Farmers 
National Bank of Bryan, and one of the organizers of the first agri- 
cultural society formed in that vicinity, and served as its first presi- 
dent. Very successful as an agriculturist, he made wise investments, 
becoming proprietor of 700 acres of rich farming land. He was a 
republican in politics, a member and past master of Bryan Lodge, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; and both he and his 
wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
he was one of its official board for many years. He married Ruth 
Mitchell, who was born in Pennsylvania, and brought up in Wayne 
County, this state, in the same neighborhood that he was. Of the four 
children born of their union, Walter S., the subject of this brief 
sketch, is the only survivor; the others were as follows: Elmore Y., 
Charles A. and Ellen, who became the wife of William McNary. 

Spending his boyhood on the parental homestead, Walter S. Mor- 
row was educated in the public schools of Bryan, and as a young 
man selected farming as his occupation. Successful in his undertak- 
ings, he acquired considerable property, and is now enjoying all the 
comforts of life at his attractive home, which is located at No. 1015 
West High Street, Bryan. 

On December 7, 1881, Mr. Morrow was united in marriage with 
Miss Effie Britton, who was born in Williams County, Ohio, December 

Vol. II—10 


146 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


7, 1861, a daughter of Amos and Ann Britton. She was educated 
in the Bryan schools, being prepared for a teacher, although she 
never followed the profession. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow have three sons, 
namely: Rush B., Charles D. and Walter S., Jr., a student in the 
Bryan High School. Rush B. Morrow, the eldest son, was graduated 
from the Bryan High School, and from the Ohio State University, at 
Columbus, and is now married and living in Bryan. At one time a 
member of the Ohio National Guard, he served as an officer in the 
World War, going overseas as captain, and being promoted to the 
rank of major. Charles D. Morrow, also a graduate of the Bryan 
High School and now attending the Ohio State University, enlisted 
in the World War, and was stationed at Camp Taylor, in the Officers’ 
Training School. 


Wyatt S. Exrmin.—A well-known and highly esteemed resident 
of Springfield Township, Wyatt S. Ehrmin, postmaster at Stryker, is 
devoting his time and attention to the duties of his position, rendering 
to his fellow-townsmen efficient and appreciated service in that capac- 
ity. A son of John A. Ehrmin, he was born, January 12, 1892, in 
Springfield Township, on the home farm, not very far from Bryan. 

Born and reared in Virginia, John A. Ehrmin came to Ohio in early 
manhood, and after living for a time in Defiance County settled per- 
manently on a farm in Springfield Township, Williams County. His 
first wife, whose maiden name was Clarissa A. Hall, died at a com- 
paratively early age, leaving three children. .He subsequently married 
for his second wife, Mary Harsch, of Fulton County, this state, and 
to them six children have been born, as follows: Louella and Willon, 
twins; Wyatt S., Victor V., and Floyd and Lloyd, twins. 

Brought up on the home farm, Wyatt S. Ehrmin acquired his pre- 
liminary education in the district schools, and in 1911 was graduated 
from the Stryker High School. The ensuing year he taught school, 
and was afterwards in the employ of the New York Central Railroad 
Company as an assistant in the freight department. On April 1, 1917, 
Mr. Ehrmin took the civil service examination at Bryan, Ohio, and 
was at once appointed mail carrier on Rural Free Delivery Route No. 
2, from Stryker, and served in that capacity until November 1, 1918, 
when he assumed the duties of his present position as postmaster at 
Stryker. Mr. Ehrmin married for his first wife, Isabelle Stuller, who 
died December 28, 1917, in early womanhood. He married, June 11, 
1919, Miss Virgie Radabaugh, and in their pleasant home they gladly 
welcome their many friends and acquaintances. Mr. and Mrs. Ehrmin 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 147 


are prominent members of the United Brethren Church, and for the 
past five years Mr. Ehrmin has served as superintendent of the Sunday 
School connected with the Radical Branch, and has acceptably filled 
the position of secondary county superintendent of the Williams 
County Sunday schools. He is a democrat in politics, and ever faith- 
ful to the principles of his party. Active in local affairs, he served 
as chairman of the Victory Boys of Williams County. 


Honorasie Georce C. Rincs.—Well equipped for the duties of 
his chosen profession, not only by his natural gifts and temperament, 
but by mental training and untiring industry, Honorable George C. 
Rings, of West Unity, occupies a place of prominence in the legal 
circles of Williams County, and is conspicuously identified with the 
highest interests of his home city, which he is now serving as mayor, a 
position that he has twice before satisfactorily filled. He is distin- 
guished as a native born citizen, his birth having here occurred Decem- 
ber 4, 1872. 

His father, George Rings, was born in Pennsylvania, and as a 
young man came to Ohio in search of fame and fortune. Settling 
in Williams County in 1835, he was engaged in general farming sev- 
eral years. During the Civil war he enlisted for service, and as 
captain of Company C, One Hundredth Ohio Volunteer Infantry took 
part in several engagements of importance. He was captured in one 
battle, and held as a prisoner-of-war until making his escape. A 
stanch democrat in politics, he was active and influential in public 
affairs, and in addition to serving as county auditor was probate 
judge two terms. Both he and his wife were devout members of the 
Presbyterian Church, and active in its work. He married, in Hicks- 
ville, Ohio, Catherine Casebeer, a native of this state, and of the six 
children born of their union, four were living in 1919, as follows: 
George C., the special subject of this sketch; Mary, wife of Dr. W. C. 
Stockton, of Angleton, Texas; J. E., of Jackson, Michigan; and Lucy 
A., wife of W. A. Hollington, of Findlay, Ohio. George Rings was 
a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and took great interest 
in it. 

Having completed the full course of study in the West Unity 
High School, George C. Rings entered the law department of the 
University of Michigan, from which he was graduated at the age 
of twenty-one years. Immediately admitted to the bar, he began the 
practice of his profession at West Unity, and met from the first 
such flattering success that he has continued here since. Thoroughly 


148 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


versed in legal lore, Mr. Rings has won the confidence and esteem 
of his fellow citizens, and through a close application of his talents 
and time to the duties of his profession has built up an extensive 
clientele. 

True to the political faith of his immediate ancestors, Mr. Rings 
is a stanch supporter of the principles of the democratic party, and 
active in public affairs. For eight years he served as state fire marshal, 
and is now serving his third term as mayor of West Unity. Fra- 
ternally Mr. Rings is a member of Superior Lodge, No. 179, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Montpelier Chapter, No. 45, 
Royal Arch Masons; of Montpelier Council, No. 102, Royal and 
Select Masters; is a member of the Knights of Pythias, of which he 
is past chancellor; and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Relig- 
iously he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. 

Mr. Rings married Nettie M. Allen, and they have four children, 
namely: James E., a graduate of the University of Michigan, is 
associated with the National City Bank of New York City, represent- 
ing their Montevideo, South America, interests; Margaret, a graduate 
of the,West Unity High School, is attending Findlay College; Cath- 
erine A., who was graduated from the West Unity High School with 
the class of 1918, is now with the West Unity Banking Company; 
and George E., attending the public schools. 


C. F. SHoox.—An extensive and well-to-do agriculturist of Wil- 
liams County, C. F. Shook is actively engaged in his independent 
vocation in Springfield Township, his estate, known as Clover Leaf 
Farm, situated on sections 22 and 27, being one of the most desirable 
pieces of property in the vicinity. A native of this township, he was 
born July 6, 1871, a son of the late William R. Shook. 

Born in Crawford County, Ohio, William R. Shook came with 
his parents to Williams County, Ohio, as a child, and was brought 
up and educated in Pulaski Township, where he also obtained his 
first knowledge of agriculture, having assisted his father in the pioneer 
task of redeeming a farm from its original wildness. Coming to 
Springfield Township after his marriage, he bought land, and having 
improved a farm continued its management until his death. He mar- 
ried one of his early schoolmates, Elizabeth Gurwell, whose parents 
settled in Pulaski Township when she was very small, and of the 
eleven children that were born of their marriage eight were living 
in 1919, as follows: Lucinda, widow of John Bowman; Ellen, wife 
of Orlando Woodward; W. W., of Bryan, Ohio; E. C., of Jefferson 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 149 


Township; George Henry, of Pulaski Township; Sheridan, living 
near Flushing, Michigan; C. F., the subject of this sketch; and Earl 
B., of Bryan. Marion, following E. C. in birth, is deceased. The father 
was a republican in politics, and the mother was a faithful member 
of the Oak Grove Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Brought up and educated in Springfield Township, C. F., Shook 
remained with his parents until attaining his majority. Marrying a 
few years later, he rented the home farm, and having previously 
acquired a practical knowledge of agriculture managed it successfully. 
Mr. Shook subsequently bought Clover Leaf Farm, and in its improve- 
ment has spared neither labor, time nor expense. He has recently 
installed in his well appointed home a complete Delco Lighting sys- 
tem, one of the most useful and enjoyable of all modern conveniences. 

Mr. Shook married, October 11, 1900, Cora B. Doughten, who 
was born in Jefferson Township, this county, and here received her 
elementary education. She subsequently attended the Tri-State Col- 
lege, at Angola, Indiana, and after completing her studies at the Ohio 
Northern University, in Ada, she taught school successfully until her 
marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Shook have two children, namely: Harold 
D., a graduate of the Stryker High School; and Donald B., attending 
that school. Mr. Shook has been in truth the architect of his own 
fortune. Having but a thousand dollars to his name when he married, 
he has gradually increased his capital, having accumulated a compe- 
tency by wise management and thrift. He is a sound republican in 
politics, and a member, and a trustee, of the Oak Grove Methodist 
Episcopal Church, to which Mrs. Shook also belongs. Wideawake 
and progressive, he is an active member of Springfield Grange No. 
499, and a past master and deputy master of the Williams County 
granges. 


Guy H. KNepper.—One of the most conspicuous figures in the 
present day history of Williams County is Guy H. Knepper, of Mont- 
pelier, a man actively identified with the argicultural business and 
political interests of his county and for many years known as one of 
the representative men of this locality. Strong mental endowment and 
business ability of high order, with honesty of purpose, have so entered 
into his composition as to render him a leader of men and a factor 
in the prosperity of the county. He is essentially a man of affairs, 
sound of judgment and far-seeing in what he undertakes, and to a 
notable degree he has won and retained the confidence and esteem 
of all classes. 


150 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Guy H. Knepper, a member of the board of commissioners of 
Williams County, was born in Superior Township, this county, on 
March 4, 1863, and is a son of William and Eliza (McHenry) Knep- 
per. Both of these parents were natives of the Buckeye State, the 
father having been born in Columbiana County on April 13, 1836, and 
the mother in Richland County on April 10, 1836. Wiailliam Knepper 
was about fifteen years of age when, in 1851, his parents brought 
their family to Williams County. The same year saw the arrival 
here of his future wife, whose family settled in Superior Township. 
They were reared here and after their marriage they located on a 
farm in Superior Township, where they lived until August, 1885, when 
the mother died. Mr. Knepper continued to reside there until 1903, 
when he moved to Montpelier, where he resided until his death, which 
occurred on January 5, 1917. Mrs. Knepper was a member of the 
Presbyterian Church. Mr. Knepper was a republican in his political 
views and was active in local public affairs, having held several town- 
ship offices. To him and his wife were born six children, namely: 
Albert, of Superior Township; Guy H., the immediate subject of this 
sketch; Ida, the wife of A. L. Brannan, of Nebraska; Bertha, Sarah 
and Harry E. are deceased. 

Guy H. Knepper remained at home with his parents until twenty 
years of age, and in the meantime he received a good practical educa- 
tion in the district schools. In 1883 he went to South Dakota, where 
he remained a year, and then, because of his mother’s sickness and 
death, he was at home for about a year and a half. Returning then 
to the West, he located in Nebraska, where he remained for about 
ten years, engaging in farming and for about three years being 
employed as a cowboy. After his marriage he located on land which 
he had entered in Nebraska, but eight years later he returned to Wil- 
liams County and lived on the home farm until 1906. He then went 
to Edon, Ohio, and, in partnership with his brother-in-law, was 
engaged in the elevator, hay and grain business for about four years. 
He then acquired entire ownership of the business, which was there- 
after operated under the name of Knepper & Son until January 1; 
1916, when the business was sold and Mr. Knepper came to Mont- 
pelier. For a time he was engaged in the manufacturing of hoops, 
but discontinued that and was engaged in the buying and shipping 
of hay until August, 1918, when he enlisted in the United States 
military service, receiving a commission as first lieutenant in the Quar- 
termaster Corps. He was sent to Camp Taylor, where he had charge 
of fuel and forage. He received an honorable discharge on January 


Ss ca 
Sa 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 151 


15, 1919, and returned home and gave his attention to the operation 
of his farm of eighty acres in Superior Township, comprising a part 
of the old homestead on which he was born and reared. 

Mr. Knepper has for many years been an active participant in 
political affairs, and in 1915 was elected on the republican ticket to 
the office of County Commissioner, in which position he served until 
1917, giving entire satisfaction to the voters of the county. In 
1918, during his absence in the army, he was again nominated for 
the same position and was elected, assuming the office on September 
15, 1919. Well qualified in every respect for this important office, 
Mr. Knepper has proven a faithful guardian of the people’s interests, 
giving to the public affairs in-his charge the same careful and pains- 
taking attention that he would give to his private affairs. He is a 
member of the Presbyterian Church and, fraternally, he belongs to 
Edon Lodge, No. 474, Free and Accepted Masons; Superior Chapter, 
No. 184, Royal Arch Masons, and Montpelier Council, Royal and 
Select Masters, he being a past master of the blue lodge. He and his 
wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. 

On June 22, 1887, Mr. Knepper was married to Alice Hepker, 
who was born and reared in Superior Township, attending the district 
schools. They had four children, namely: Virgie, the oldest, died 
when sixteen years of age; W. H., who is a graduate of Winona 
College, at Winona, Indiana, is manager of the Farmers Co-operative 
Hay and Grain Company, at Bryan; Guy H., Jr., is a veteran of the 
World War, having been located for seventeen months at Camp Sher- 
man, Chillicothe, Ohio, where he had the rank of regimental sergeant 
major; he is now connected with the Goodyear Rubber Company, at 
Akron, Ohio; Leeta B., after graduating from the Edon High School, 
attended the dramatic art department of the Valparaiso University, 
where she was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Oratory, 
and is now a teacher in the Montpelier public schools. In all that 
constitutes true manhood and good citizenship he is a notable example, 
his career having been characterized by duty faithfully performed, 
and by industry, thrift and wisely directed effort, with the result that 
he enjoys the universal respect and confidence of the entire com- 
munity. 


ARCHIBALD PRESSLER, popular ex-commissioner of Williams County 


‘and for many years one of the leading farmers and stock men of 


Superior Township, who is now living in honorable retirement in 
Montpelier, was not favored by inherited wealth or the assistance of 


152 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


influential friends, but in spite of this, by perseverance, industry and 
the exercise of sound judgment, he has attained a comfortable station 
in life, making his influence felt for the general good of his community 
and county, where practically all of his active life has been spent. 
Archibald Pressler was born near Shelby, Ohio, on August 31, 
1843, and is the son of Henry and Nancy (Holtz) Pressler. His 
parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, the father born in 1818 
and the mother in 1820. The Pressler family came to Ashland County, 
Ohio, in 1840, and the Holtz family came to Richland County in 1830. 
Henry and Nancy Pressler came to Williams County in 1857 and 
located in Bridgewater Township, where they lived six years, moving 


at the end of that time to Superior Township, where he engaged in 


farming during the remainder of his life. They were members of 
the Church of God and in politics Mr. Pressler was a republican. 
They became the parents of seven children, four of whom are now 
living, namely: Archibald, the subject of this sketch; Catherine, the 
wife of Edwin June, of Bryan, Ohio; Sarah, who is the wife of B. A. 
Lowe, of Superior Township, and Margaret, the widow of Robert 
A. Kime. Jacob and Julia are deceased, and one child died in infancy. 
Archibald Pressler was about fourteen years of age when the fam- 
ily came to Williams County, and his education was secured in the 
district schools of Huron and Seneca counties. He remained at home 
until he had attained his majority, when he started out on his own 
account, applying himself first to the carpenter trade. In 1864 he 
enlisted in defense of the Union, joining Company D of the One 
Hundred and Forty-second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 
with which he served about five months. He was then transferred to 
the Quartermaster’s department, where he remained until receiving 
his honorable discharge, in January, 1865. He then returned to Wil- 
liams County and, after his marriage, which occurred in 1866, he 
located on a farm in Superior Township, where he lived until the 
fall of 1903, when he moved to Montpelier, where he now resides. 
On February 2, 1866, Mr. Pressler was married to Angela Haw- 
kins, who was born in Huron County, Ohio, in August, 1844. She 
is a daughter of Joseph and Matilda (Crissey) Hawkins, both of 
whom were born in Connecticut, where they were married, coming 
to Williams County in 1847, and spending the remainder of their lives 
here, their home being located in Bridgewater Township. To Mr. 


and Mrs. Pressler were born two children, namely: Ettie May, who. 


was formerly a teacher in the public schools, but is now the widow 
of P. B. Rogers, and Belle, who was the wife of A. C. Hause, of 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 153 


Montpelier, Ohio. She died March 25, 1920. There was one child 
by that marriage, Reginald Hause, now fifteen years of age, the only 
grandchild. 

Mr. Pressler is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows and he and his wife are affiliated with the Daughters of Rebekah. 
- Politically, Mr. Pressler is a democrat and has taken an active part 
in public affairs. He was elected a member of the Board of Commis- 
sioners of Williams County and gave so satisfactory an administration 
of the office that he was elected to succeed himself by a handsome 
majority. Mr. Pressler keeps alive his old army associations through 
‘ his membership in Hiram Louden Post No. 155, Grand Army of the 
Republic, of which he has served as commander. Mrs. Pressler is 
a member of the Woman’s Relief Corps, of which she served as 
president for three years. Mr. Pressler’s life has been one of duty 
well and conscientiously performed in all its relations. He has not 
been a man to shrink from his duty, however irksome or dangerous, 
whether in the role of private citizen, public servant or on the field of 
battle, and today he enjoys to a marked degree the respect and confi- 
dence of his host of loyal friends and acquaintances throughout the 
county. 


Lewis P. Wirtz.—During the long, honorable and uniformly suc- 
cessful career of Lewis P. Wirtz, he has been identified with a num- 
ber of lines of business endeavor and in each has shown capability and 
good management that have tended to work for his advancement. 
Farming, carpentry, the clothing business and the produce line have 
benefited by his attentions, and at the present time he is centering 
his activities in the lumber industry as proprietor of the L. P. Wirtz 
Lumber Company, at Kunkle. 

Mr. Wirtz was born on a farm near Shelby, Richland County, Ohio. 
May 14, 1866, a son of Henry and Mary (Frank) Wirtz, who were 
reared, educated and married in the same community of that county. 
On coming to Williams County, they located on a property three miles 
north of Kunkle, on which they carried on operations for many years, 
but after the death of the mother Mr. Wirtz went to Iowa, where 
he passed his last years at the home of a son. He was a republican 
in politics and at one time served efficiently as a member of the board 
of trustees of Madison Township. He and his worthy wife were 
faithful members of the German Reformed Church, and had eight 
sons and two daughters. The daughters, twins, died in infancy, and 
seven sons are living at this time: L. P., G. A., C. W., F. M., Allen 


154 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


E., Oliver W., and Sherman. John H. died Christmas night, 1918, 

Lewis P. Wirtz was given the advantages of a public school edu- 
cation in Williams County and remained under the parental roof as his 
father’s associate in cultivating the home farm, until he was nineteen 
years of age, at which time he began working at the trade of carpenter. 
After eight years devoted to this vocation, he turned his attention to 
the clothing business, with which he was identified for four years, and 
this was followed by six years of experience in the produce business. 
Mr. Wirtz then founded his present business, the L. P. Wirtz Lumber 
Company, which he has developed to large and important proportions. 
Mr. Wirtz has a number of other business connections. He is one 
of the directors of the Kunkle State Bank. He organized and built 
the Farmers Telephone Company, of which he is secretary and man- 
ager, and a member of the board of directors of the Kunkle Light 
and Power Company. His career has been an exemplification of the 
value of perseverance and industry, when combined with natural abil- 
ity, for at the outset of his career he had no outside assistance and 
his success has been gained entirely through his own initiative and 
resource. Mr. Wirtz is a republican, and at the present time is serv- 
ing as justice of the peace. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Superior 
Lodge, No. 179, Free and Accepted Masons, and Kunkle Lodge, No. 
821, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past grand, 
Mrs. Wirtz being a member of the Rebekahs. They belong to the 
Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. Wirtz has been secretary for 
twenty years and a member of the board of trustees for fifteen years. 
His record as a business man and a citizen is beyond reproach and 
has been characterized by constructiveness in advancing education, 
religion and high commercial standards. 

Mr. Wirtz first married Miss Mame Whetro, having one child by 
that marriage, who is now deceased. In May, 1900, Mr. Wirtz mar- 
ried Miss Mary E. Barrier, who was born in Williams County and 
educated in the public schools. She is a woman of numerous accom- 
plishments, and, like her husband, has many friends at Kunkle. 


Wrut1am LonaBaRGER, proprietor of the Ford Sale and Service 
Garage of Pioneer, is one of the men who has possessed the right 
idea of the importance of the automobile industry and the lines con- 
nected with it, and as a result of his broad vision and enterprising 
methods has built up a large and constantly growing business. He 
was born in Hillsdale County, Michigan, on June 30, 1879, a son of 
David and Ella (Monk) Lonabarger, natives of Williams County, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 155 


Ohio, and Hillsdale County, Michigan, respectively. They are still 
living and reside in Hillsdale County, Michigan. For many years 
they have been consistent members of the Evangelical Church. In poli- 
tics he has always espoused the principles of the democratic party, 
but aside from voting its ticket, has not been active in public affairs. 
He and his wife had three children born to them, namely: William, 
who is the eldest ; Fern, who is a farmer, is married and lives in Amboy 
Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan; and Jesse, who is also a 
farmer, lives in the same township and county as Fern. 

William Lonabarger was reared on his father’s farm and taught 
by that excellent man the lessons of industry and thrift which actuated 
him through life. While assisting in the operation of the farm, he 
attended the district schools and in them laid the foundations of an 
excellent common school education. Until he was married he remained 
at home, at which time he branched out for himself and came to 
Pioneer and became agent for the Ford machines. Being a good busi- 
ness man and understanding the needs oi his customers, he is able to 
give them a service that is so appreciated that through it he has built 
up a patronage that is yielding him very gratifying returns. 

Mr. Lonabarger was married to Pearl Yagel, and they became the 
parents of four children, namely: Verlin, Gerald, Irene and Mildred. 
After the death of the first Mrs. Lonabarger, Mr. Lonabarger was 
married to Estella Serer, but they had no children, and she later died. 
As his third wife Mr. Lonabarger married Mary Dohen, and they 
have a son, Robert. Mrs. Lonabarger was early united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church and is still a member of it. Mr. Lonabarger 
is a member of the Pioneer Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 


lows, and his wife belongs to the Rebekahs. In politics he is a demo- 


crat both by inheritance and conviction. Both he and Mrs. Lonabarger 
stand very high in popular esteem, and are accepted as representative 
people of the county. 


Francis W. GRANNIS.—Among the men who have gained positions 
of prominence in business affairs in Williams County, not a few have 
had their early training in the midst of the environment of the farm. 
From the rural districts they have brought a sense of discipline and a 
knowledge of sturdy industry that have combined with their later 
training to assist them in gaining prosperity for themselves and for 
the enterprises with which they are connected. In this class undoubt- 
edly is Francis W. Grannis, a dealer in coal, cement, wire fencing 
and similar products at Pioneer, who was reared in the atmosphere 


156 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


of the farm, but whose success has been enjoyed as a competitor in 
the marts of commerce. , 

Mr. Grannis was born in Bridgewater Township, Williams County, 
Ohio, March 31, 1853, a son of Pierce C. and Esther (Close) Grannis. 
From his native state of New York, Pierce C. Grannis first came to 
Huron County, Ohio, and later to Ashland County, where he married 
Miss Close, a native of the Buckeye State. In 1851 they transferred 
their residence place to Williams County, the father locating on a 
farm in the woods at a time when the settlement of Pioneer had but 
two log houses, these being occupied by the members of the Norris 
and Joy families. After clearing a small tract, he built a small log 
cabin, to which he brought his family, and in this community the 
remainder of his active life was passed in the pursuits of agriculture. 
He was an industrious and capable man, and cleared and developed a 
good farm, making a material success of his life through legitimate 
channels of endeavor. In the evening of life he moved to Pioneer, 
where he died at the age of eighty-three years, his worthy and highly 
esteemed widow surviving him for some years and passing away at 
the remarkable age of ninety-two. They were faithful Christian 
people, and, with their oldest son, together with John Fulton and his 
sister and Mrs. G. R. Joy, organized the first Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Pioneer. All remained consistent members of this con- 
gregation throughout their lives. Mr. Grannis was a stalwart repub- 
lican in his political views and held numerous township offices in 
Bridgewater Township. He and his wife were the parents of eight 
children, of whom two are living: Anna, the wife of Joseph Gordon, 
of Madison Township, Williams County, and Francis W. 

Francis W. Grannis was reared on the home place and his educa- 
tion was acquired in the public schools of Pioneer. When he put 
aside his school books he returned to farming, and when ready to 
enter upon a career of his own purchased the home farm of eighty 
acres. This he operated with a gratifying share of success until 
August 20, 1909, at which time he turned over its management to 
other hands and came to Pioneer. Here he established himself in his 
present business, which he has built up to large proportions. Mr. Gran- 
nis enjoys an excellent reputation in business circles and is known as 
a man of high integrity. He is a republican in politics and has served 
as a member of the board of township trustees. Fraternally, he is 
affiliated with Pioneer Lodge No. 359, Knights of Pythias, of which 
he is past chancellor, and Mrs. Grannis belongs to the Pythian Sisters. 
They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he 
holds membership on the official board. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 157 


Mr. Grannis was united in marriage in 1876 with Miss Elsie Fulton, 
who was born at Pioneer and educated in the public schools, and 
three children have been born to them: Addie E., a graduate of the 
Pioneer High School, who became the wife of Edwin Hodson and died 
at the age of thirty years; Vernie, a graduate of the same school, now 
the widow of Clinton Bible, of Pioneer; and Percy, who is married 
and a resident of Pioneer. Mr. Grannis is the owner of an eighty-acre 
farm in Bridgewater Township, and has also accumulated several 
town properties at Pioneer. 


Hon. WittiaM E. Siwers.—The record of successful business men 
needs no introductory preface among the citizens of the county in 
which their prosperity has been attained, and Hon. William E. Siders, 
of Pioneer, is undoubtedly a member of the class referred to. By his 
strict personal integrity and honorable dealings, combined with good 
business qualifications, he has become one of the leading manufacturers 
of his part of Williams County, and at the same time has taken a 
prominent and influential part in public affairs, at present being the 
incumbent of the office of mayor of his city. 

Mr. Siders was born in Meigs County, Ohio, February 16, 1872, a 
son of David and Phoebe (Greathouse) Siders, natives of West Vir- 
ginia, the former born in Kanawha County and the latter in Roane 
County. They were married in Meigs County, where they resided for 
some years, in 1880 moving to Syracuse, Ohio, where the father 
worked at his trade of cooper. In 1884 David Siders engaged in the 
lumber business in Henry County, Ohio, where he remained until 
1906, then removing to Bryan, where he followed the same line for 
five years. Coming to Pioneer in 1911, he and his sons purchased the 
Pioneer Hoop Mill, with which the father continued to be identified 
until his death in 1914. 

William E. Siders was twelve years of age when he went with his 
parents to Henry County, where he completed his public school edu- 
cation, then pursuing a course at the Fostoria Business College. Fol- 
lowing this, he spent twelve years at Seneca and in Sandusky County, 
and in 1911 came to Pioneer, where he became identified with the 
Pioneer Hoop Mill. At the time of his father’s death, in 1914, he 
assumed sole control of the business, which had adopted the style of 
the Pioneer Cooperage Company, and which he has continued to con- 
duct with ever-increasing success. In addition, Mr. Siders is the 
proprietor of a sawmill and lumber business, and is a large property 
owner, having 353 acres in Woodbridge and Ransome townships, Hills- 


158 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


dale County, Michigan; ninety-three acres on Nettle Lake, Northwest- 
ern Township; eighty acres in Texas and the beautiful Siders’ home 
and another dwelling at Pioneer. Some idea of the extent of Mr. Sid- 
ers’ success may be seen when it is stated that when he entered upon 
his active career, in 1903, he and his brother-in-law possessed a capital 
of about $100. Today Mr. Siders is worth approximately $50,000. 

_ A stalwart republican in his political allegiance, Mr. Siders has been 
active in the ranks of his party, in which he wields a strong and 
beneficial influence. He has been a member of the county central 
committee and of the Pioneer city council, and at present is acting in 
the capacity of mayor of Pioneer, giving his fellow citizens a capable 
and business-like administration, during which much has been done to 
advance the city’s interests. As a fraternalist, he belongs to Green 
Spring Lodge No. 427, Free and Accepted Masons, Green Springs, 
Ohio, and to the Chapter and Council at Montpelier, Ohio. 

On August 31, 1900, Mr. Siders married Miss Mae B. Beatty, who 
was born at Strasburg, Virginia, and to this union there have come two 
children: Leroy, born July 13, 1903, who is attending high school; 
and Anna, born April 1, 1906, a freshman in the high school. 


Rev. J. F. Stoucu.—It is seldom that an outsider understands or 
appreciates the work accomplished by the ministers of the Gospel. 
Fortunately these learned and honored pastors give little thought to 
the criticisms or lack of appreciation on the part of the world, resting 
content with the realization that they have carried out the ideas of 
their church and achieved untold good for humanity. One of these 
distinguished clergymen of the Church of God, now retired, is Rev. 
J. F. Slough, who for thirty-eight years preached the Gospel in Wil- 
liams County, where he filled seven charges, and who is now one of 
the greatly venerated residents of Pioneer. 

J. F. Slough was born in Crawford County, Ohio, November 21, 
1854, a son of Leonard and Christina (Beaver) Slough, the father 
born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1819, a son of 
Jacob and Mary (Moorey) Slough. The grandparents removed from 
Pennsylvania to Columbiana County, Ohio, where the grandfather met 
an accidental death, the grandmother remaining in that locality during 
the remainder of her life. Leonard Slough grew to maturity in 
Columbiana County, where he was married, and shortly thereafter 
moved to Crawford County, Ohio, where he made his home until 
April, 1864. At that time he brought his family to Williams County, 
locating two and one-half miles west of Pioneer, where he passed the 


Mist Onmy OF WILLIAMS COUNDY 159 


remaining years of his life. He was a democrat in his political alle- 
giance, and he and his worthy wife were faithful members of the 
German Lutheran Church. They were the parents of nine children, 
of who four are living: Daniel, of Edon, Ohio; J. F.; W. J., of Ashta- 
bula County, Ohio; and Doctor George, of Posey County, Indiana. 

Rev. J. F. Slough was nine years of age when he accompanied 
his parents to Williams County, here acquiring his education in the 
district schools.: He was reared as a farmer’s son and remained under 
the parental roof until his marriage, January 2, 1877, to Miss Maggie 
Miller, who was born in Richland County, Ohio, and was a girl when 
she accompanied her parents to Williams County, where she was given 
a public school education. To Rev: and Mrs. Slough there was born 
one daughter, Lottie A., who attended the public schools until seven- 
teen years of age when she went to the Fayette Normal School. A 
graduate in music, she taught that art at Pioneer until her marriage to 
George A. Brown, at present clerk of the court of Williams County, 
Mrs. Brown acting as his deputy. Mrs. Slough died July 31, 1914, 
and October 24, 1916, Rev. Slough married Miss Martha Riley, of 
Rising Sun, Ohio, who was born in Richland County, this state, May 
19, 1859, educated in the public schools of Seneca County, and was a 
teacher for some years in Sandusky County. 

Rey. J. F. Slough entered the ministry of the Church of God at 
the age of twenty-six years, in 1880, and continued his ministerial 
labors for a period of thirty-eight years, during which time he filled 
seven pulpits. It would be hard to estimate the extent of the good 
work accomplished by Reverend Slough during his long ministry, in 
which he won the affection of his people wherever he labored. The 
high esteem in which he was held by his brethren of the cloth was 
evidenced in the fact that for a number of years'he acted on many of 
the important committees in the eldership. In 1918 he retired to his 
one and one-half acre tract at Pioneer, where he has a pleasant home. 
He is likewise the owner of a farm of eighty acres in Bridgewater 
Township, the management of which he supervises, and is especially 
interested in the breeding of Jersey cattle and White Orpington chick- 
ens. His standing as an authority upon agricultural matters has been 
recognized by his occupancy of a position on the board of directors 
of the Williams County Agricultural Society for ten years, during 
which time he has been president of that society for two years and 
vice president for seven years. In matters of a political character he 
maintains an independent stand, voting at all times for the man whom 
he deems best qualified for the office at stake. 


160 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


DanieL H. Ciaupon, cashier of the Citizens Bank of Pioneer, 
Ohio, has had seven years’ experience with the uncompromising and 
accuracy-compelling methods of monetary science as revealed behind 
the counters of Ohio institutions. As are all successful and reliable’ 
cashiers, he is methodical in his habits and practical in his ambitions. 
Steadiness of life aim has been imparted to him by a family which 
has always been noted for its financial ability. 

Mr. Claudon is a product of the Prairie state, born in Livingston 
County, Illinois, February 11, 1871, a son of Joseph and Mary (Mosi- 
man) Claudon, the latter born near Peoria, Illinois. Joseph Claudon 
was born in Alsace-Lorraine and immigrated to the United States when 
twenty-one years of age. Locating in Illinois, he secured work as a 
farm hand until, with the aid of his faithful and capable wife, he was 
able to purchase a farm of eighty acres. To this, through constant 
industry and good management, he added from time to time until he 
was the owner of 480 acres of good Illinois land. He was one of the 
substantial and highly esteemed citizens of his community, a republican 
in his political views and a consistent member of the Mennonite 
Church. He and his wife were the parents of six children: Amos, 
who is carrying on agricultural operations in Illinois; David, 
cashier of the Bank of Meadows, Illinois. and president of the First 
National Bank at Gridley, that state; Daniel M.; Mary, the wife of 
David Gerig, of Illinois; Sarah, the wife of John D. Gorg; and Miss 
Emma, unmarried. 

Daniel H. Claudon spent his boyhood days on the home farm, 
acquiring his education in the public schools. He continued to follow 
the pursuits of agriculture until he reached the age of twenty-eight 
years, at which time he embarked in the grain business at Meadows, 
Illinois, where he and his brothers were the owners of the grain ele- 
vators. After fourteen years in this business they disposed of their 
Illinois holdings and in 1913 came to Pioneer, where they bought the 
interests of the Edward Gaudom Bank and founded a business of their 
own which has since developed to large proportions. At the same - 
time, Daniel H. Claudon became cashier of the Citizens Bank, a posi- 
tion which he has retained to the present time. He is a heavy stock- 
holder in the bank and his wide acquaintance with the farmers and 
business men of the section renders him a valuable adjunct to its 
success. He likewise has an interest in two banks in Illinois, and is 
the owner of an 160-acre farm in Williams County, near Pioneer. In 
politics he is a republican, although he has never sought nor cared for 
public office. With his family he belongs to the Mennonite Church. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 161 


He is a promoter of stable and conservative interests, and as a citizen 
and banker maintains standards in keeping with the best welfare of 
the community. 

In 1893, while still a resident of Illinois, Mr. Claudon was united 
in marriage to Miss Fannie Rediger, a native of that state, and to this 
union there lrave been born two daughters: Alice, a graduate of the 
Pioneer High School, and wife of Marion Masters, who is carrying on 
agricultural operations on Mr. Claudon’s 160-acre farm: and Irene, 
also a graduate of the same school, who is acting as assistant cashier 
of the Citizens Bank of Pioneer. 


Wi11am D. Wattace.—One of the retired farmers of Pioneer, 
was for years connected with the agricultural life of Williams County, 
and then, as now, he commanded the confidence and respect of all with 
whom he came into contact. He was born near Olivesburg, Richland 
County, Ohio, on September 12, 1844, a son of Noah and Sophia 
(Bowser) Wallace, natives of Virginia and Maryland, respectively, 
who were married in Maryland. After their marriage they moved to 
Ohio and located on a farm in the vicinity of Olivesburg, Richland 
County, leaving that locality for Williams County. Here they settled 
on a farm three miles south of Pioneer in Madison Township, and here 
they died. They were devout members of the United Brethren Church. 
In politics he was a strong republican, and his fellow citizens elected 
him to several of the township offices for he was a man who com- 
manded their confidence. There were eleven children in his family, of 
whom four survive, namely: William B., who is the eldest; Eliza- 
beth, who married G. G. Brown, lives three miles south of Pioneer; 
Noah, who lives in Michigan; and John, who is also a resident of 
Michigan. 

William B. Wallace was reared on the Madison Township farm, 
and attended the district schools during the winter months and in sum- 
mer assisted his father in operating the homestead, this condition 
continuing until he was twenty years old. He then went to Tennes- 
see, where he was employed for a year, and then returned and was 
engaged. in working for farmers of Williams County. Having saved 
his money, Mr. Wallace was then able to buy a farm of his own and 
now owns eighty-five acres of land, on which he was engaged in farm- 
ing until his retirement. All that he has he made himself. 

Mr. Wallace -was married to Livona Page, and they had four 
children. three of whom survive, namely: Melvin, Albert and Els- 
worth. M. I. died at the age of forty years. Mrs. Wallace died in 


Vol. II—11 


162 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


1886, and Mr. Wallace later married a daughter of Professor Kirk, 
Miss Maude Kirk, and they had one son, Clare, who lives at home. 
Mrs. Wallace died on December 22, 1909. Mr. Wallace belongs to 
the Church of God. Like his father he is ‘a republican. During his 
long.and useful life Mr. Wallace has lived up to what he believed was 
right, and is recognized as being one of the dependable and upright 
men of Williams County. 

Hon. Frank L. Warerston.—Examples that impress force of 
character on all who study them are worthy of record in the annals of 
history wherever they are found. By a few general observations the 
biographer hopes to convey in the following paragraphs, succinctly 
and yet without fulsome encomium, some idea of the high standing 
of Frank L. Waterston, of Montpelier, as a business man and public- 
spirited citizen, one of the representative men of Williams County. 
Those who know him best will readily acquiesce in the statement that 
many elements of a solid and practical nature are united in his com- 
position and which during a series of years have brought him into 
prominent notice in this county, his life and achievements earning 
for him a conspicuous place among his compeers. 

Frank L. Waterston, who is the present representative from Wil- 
liams County in the lower house of the Ohio State Legislature, for- 
merly county commissioner of Williams County for seven years, and 
four years a member of the Board of Public Affairs of Montpelier, is 
a native son of the county now honored by his citizenship, having been 
born in Bridgewater Township on May 5, 1860. His parents were 
Simon and Cyrena (Lindsay) Waterston, both of whom are now 
deceased. Simon Waterston was born and reared in Edinburgh, 
Scotland, his birth occurring on May 20, 1830, and in his youth he 
accompanied his parents on their emigration to the United States. 
They first located in Belmont County, Ohio, later living for a time in 
Richland County, this state, and in 1851 they came to Williams County, 
locating in Bridgewater Township, where he grew to manhood. Cyrena 
Lindsay was born in Schenectady, New York, on December 7, 1830, 
and was a daughter of Frank and Polly (Adams) Lindsay, being on 
the maternal side a direct descendant of John Quincy Adams. In 1838, 
when but eight years of age, she was brought to Williams County, 
her parents locating in Bridgewater Township, where she met and mar- 
ried Simon Waterston. They first located on a farm in section 28, 
Bridgewater Township, where they lived until 1889, when they moved 
to Montpelier, where they spent the remainder of their lives. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 163 


They were active and faithful members of the Presbyterian Church. 
Mr. Waterston was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the 
Republic. The latter membership was particularly consonant from 
the fact that during the dark days of the Civil war Mr. Waterston 
offered his services to his country, serving from 1861 to 1865, being 
discharged in July of the latter year, with the rank of captain. He 
was a republican in his political views and took an active part in local 
public affairs, having held several township offices. To him and his 
wife were born four children, namely: George T., of Pioneer, Ohio; 
Anna C., the wife of Samuel Hays, of Montpelier; Frank L., the 
immediate subject of this review; and Jennie, the wife of Fred Bauer. 

Frank L. Waterston spent his boyhood days on the home farm in 
Bridgewater Township and secured a good practical education in the 
district schools of that locality. He remained at home until he had 
attained his majority, when he was married, and started farming on 
his own account. He first bought eighty acres of land, for which he 
went into debt, but by hard work and good management he was able 
to pay for it in two years. Thereafter as he prospered, he added 
to his original purchase until he is now the owner of 120 acres of 
excellent land, all of which he has gained by his own efforts. In 1904 
Mr. Waterston went to Montpelier and engaged in the hardware busi- 
ness, which he conducted for about eight years, at the end of which 
time he sold the business, though he still owns the building in which 
the store is located. Since then he has given his attention to his 
farming interests, which have proven profitable under his direction. 
His farm is well improved in every respect and, in addition to the 
raising of general crops, Mr. Waterston also gives some attention to 
the raising of live stock. 

On October 3, 1882, Mr. Waterston was married to Mary A. 
Ansley, who was born in Richland County, Ohio, but in babyhood 
was brought to Alvordton, Williams County, where she lived until 
twelve years of age, when the family moved to Bridgewater Town- 
ship, where she was reared and attended the district schools. To this 
‘union has been born one son, Lynn S., who completed his studies 
in the Montpelier High School, after which he was engaged in teach- 
ing school for two years. He was married to Mary Shammel and 
they have three children: Naomi, Carmie and Fred L. 

Politically, Mr. Waterston has been a lifelong supporter of the 
republican party and has taken an active part in local public affairs. 
_ In 1903 he was elected a member of the Board of County Commis- 


164 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


sioners of Williams County, serving until 1910. For four years he 
rendered effective service as a member of the Board of Public Affairs 
of the Town of Montpelier. In November, 1918, he was elected a 
member of the General Assembly, representing Williams County in 
the eighty-third session of that body. He has been eminently efficient 
and faithful in the performance of his public duties and has always 
stood stanchly for the best interest of the general public, his efforts 
being fully appreciated by his fellow citizens. Fraternally he is 
member of Superior Lodge, No. 269, Knights of Pythias, and, 
with his wife, belongs also to the Pythian Sisters. In his record there 
is much that is commendable, his career forcibly illustrating what a 
life of energy can accomplish when plans are wisely laid and actions 
are governed by right principles and correct ideals. In his public 
career, as well as his private life, no word of suspicion has ever been 
breathed against him. His actions have been the result of careful and 
conscientious thought, and when once convinced that he is right no’ 
suggestion of policy or personal profit can swerve him from the course 
he has decided upon. Because of his success, his ability and his sterl- 
ing character, he enjoys to a marked degree the confidence, good will 
and esteem of all who know him. 


Warp G. Haviranp.—In the less extensive and populous towns 
and villages of a state, the postmaster is very likely to be brought into 
contact with a greater number of the inhabitants and at more frequent 
intervals than any other member of the community. Few are the 
individual residents of either sex who do not become familiar with his 
presence and deportment and cognizant of his habits and characteris- - 
tics, and there are likewise few, on the other hand, even to the older 
children, whom he has not learned to know. With such an intimate 
relationship existing between the man conducting the postoffice and the 
townspeople depending upon it, thrice happy is the incumbent of that 
office when all of the men, women and children of the place have for 
him only words of commendation. Such is the favored position of 
Ward G. Haviland, the efficient and popular postmaster of Pioneer, 
Williams County, who is the possessor of those qualities of candor, 
sincerity, faithfulness and affability which give the best class of public 
officials a high standing in the estimation of those whose interests are 
entrusted to their care. 

Mr. Haviland was born in Williams County, Ohio, October 14, 
1871, a son of Comfort and Harriet (Gordon) Haviland, the former 
a native of Putnam County, New York, and the latter of Ransom 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 165. 


Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan. The father, who was a Wil- 
liams County farmer, served as postmaster at Pioneer during the 
administration of President Cleveland, and was a lifelong democrat, 
and fraternally was a charter member of Pioneer Lodge No. 441, 
Free and Accepted Masons. He and his wife were faithful members 
of the Baptist Church. Mr. Haviland met an accidental death in 1912, 
and his widow still survives as a resident of pioneer. 

The only child of his parents, Ward G. Haviland was reared on 
the home place and received his education in the public schools. After 
his graduation from the high school, he applied himself to farming, in 
which he was engaged uninterruptedly until appointed postmaster at. 
Pioneer in February, 1914. In 1918, at the expiration of his first term, 
he received the reappointment, and is still acting in that office, his. 
continuous conduct of the position having met with the entire approval 
of the community. Mr. Haviland is identified with the democratic 
party, in the local councils and campaigns of which he has long been: 
an influential factor. He belongs to Pioneer Lodge, No. 441, Free and 
Accepted Masons, and Montpelier Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and. 
he and Mrs. Haviland are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. 
He is still the owner of sixty acres of good farming land in Madisom 
Township, Williams County. 

Mr. Haviland married Gertrude Heist, who was reared near West 
Unity, Ohio, and they have two children: Max, born in January, 1907, 
who is attending the public school at Pioneer; and Kathleen, born 
November 8, 1919. Mrs. Haviland is a member of the United Breth- 
ren Church, and, like her husband, has numerous friends in the: 
community of her home. 


Ricuarp D. Martrin.—Agriculture is today just as essential am 
industry as it was during the period when this country was maintain- 
ing a mighty army abroad and the farmer is still entitled to the credit 
he then won and has since held because of his work in creating food! 
to feed the world. Williams County is furnishing some of the best 
examples of the agricultural class as can be found in the country, and! 
one of them is Richard D. Martin, of Madison Township, whose fine: 
farm is located one mile south and one and one-half miles east of 
Pioneer. : ; : : 

Mr. Martin was born near his present farm, in the same township, 
on December 10, 1855, a son of David and Eliza (Kendall) Martin; 
he born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and she, in England. She 
came to the United States with her parents, who located in Richland 


166 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


County, Ohio, where she was reared to maturity and was married. 
For a short time she and her husband lived in Richland County, but 
then moved to Williams County, Ohio, and located in Madison Town- 
ship, where both died, owners of 160 acres of land. They were Dun- 
kards in religious faith, and most excellent people. In politics he was 
a democrat, and served as director of the county infirmary for two 
terms. Of the ten children born to him and his wife, eight survive, 
namely: Isabelle, who became the wife of Samuel Weeks, of Kan- 
sas; Daniel, who lives at Nankin, Ohio; Ira, who is deceased; John, 
who lives in Michigan; Catherine, who is the widow of Samuel Baum, 
lives at Ashland, Ohio; Mary, who is the wife of Henry Yeagle; 
Richard D., whose name heads this review; Willard K., who lives near 
Pioneer, Ohio; H. W., who lives at Pioneer; and an unnamed infant. 

Richard D. Martin was reared to manhood on his father’s farm 
and he alternated assisting him in conducting it with attendance at 
the district schools. On October 3, 1878, he was united in marriage 
with Mary E. Rittenhouse, born in Medina County, Ohio, on January 
22, 1858, who was brought to Williams County when she was thirteen 
years old and educated in the common schools of this neighborhood. 
After they were married Mr. and Mrs. Martin lived for seven years 
in Amboy Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan, but returned to 
Williams County and have since lived in Madison Township. They 
own 100 acres of very valuable farm land. 

Mr. and Mrs. Martin became the parents of the following children: 
Loyal, who died at the age of five years; Myrtle E., who was born on 
December 23, 1890, was graduated from Ashland College, and mar- 
ried Herbert G. Kauffman, of Madison Township; and Arda N., who 
was graduated from the Pioneer High School and is a physical direc- 
tor. She is now a reconstruction agent of the United States Govern- 
ment at Fort Henry, Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Martin and his wife 
belong to the Brethren Church and he is one of the trustees of the local 
congregation. He is not a party man but independent in politics. In 
all of his life he has been guided by principles which are the bed-rock 
of Christianity, and he has always shown a deep and enlightened inter- 
est in the advancement of his community. 

Herbert Glenn Kauffman, one of the rising young farmers of 
Madison Township, lives on his father’s farm which is located 
four and one-half miles northeast of Montpelier, Ohio. He was born 
in Madison Township, Williams County, Ohio, in March, 1892, a son 
of Albert and Clara (Arter) Kauffman, natives of Madison and 
Superior townships, Williams County. They were reared in the same 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 167 


neighborhood and attended the same schools. At present Albert Kauff- 
man is president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Montpelier, 
and a farmer of Superior Township. In politics he is a republican. 
Albert Kauffman and his wife have two children, namely: Herbert G., 
who is the elder, and Elsie, who is at home. 

Herbert G. Kauffman was reared on his father’s homestead in 
Madison Township, and attended the district schools until he was 
twenty-one years old. At that time he was married to Myrtle Martin 
of the same township, a daughter of Richard D. Martin, whose name 
heads this article. Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman have one child, Galia M., 
who was born on April 12, 1916. Mr. Kauffman is a republican. 
Since his marriage he has been carrying on general farming and stock 
raising, being fitted for this work by years of training and natural 
liking for it. He and Mrs. Kauffman belong to the younger married 
set of their community and are very popular socially. 


BeNnJAMIN H. TRAXLER, one of the trustees of Madison Township, 
and a farmer of Williams County, who is living on his finely developed 
farm one mile south and one and one-quarter miles east of Pioneer, 
is one of the men with a love of the soil in the blood, who has mate- 
rially assisted in maintaining the agricultural prestige of this section 
of the state. He was born in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio, 
on October 11, 1862, a son of Hugh and Esther Traxler, natives of 
Pennsylvania and Richland County, Ohio, respectively. They were 
married in Williams County, Ohio, and settled on a farm near West 
Unity, Ohio. With the outbreak of the war between the North and 
the South, Hugh Traxler espoused the Union cause and enlisted and 
died in the service, leaving but one child, who was born after his 
father had gone into the army. It is sad to relate that the gallant 
young soldier was not spared to see his son. The lad was reared by 
his grandparents with whom he remained until he was fourteen years 
old when, his mother remarrying, he accompanied her and his step- 
father to the farm he now occupies. Later his mother moved to 
Kunkle, but subsequent to the death of her second husband, she 
returned to the farm and spent her last days with her son. They were 
all church members and most excellent, Christian people. 

B. H. Traxler’s educational training was confined to that offered 
by the district schools, but he made the most of his opportunities. All 
of his mature years he has been engaged in farming and now owns 186 
acres of excellent farm land, on which he is carrying on general farm- 
ing and stock raising, and specializes in a good grade of stock. 


168 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


On September 23, 1882, Mr. Traxler was united in marriage with 
Ada Best, who was born in Madison Township, Williams County, 
Ohio, in August, 1863, a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Flagle) 
Best. She was reared on her father’s farm and went to the district 
school. Mr. and Mrs. Traxler have two children, namely: Mabel, who 
was born on December 10, 1884, is unmarried and lives at home; and 
Forrest, who was born on May 20, 1901, was graduated from the 
Pioneer High School, and is now a student of the Tri-State College 
at Angola, Indiana, where he is taking a course in civil engineering. 
Mr. Traxler is a republican and was elected on his party ticket one 
of the trustees of his township. Both he and Mrs. Traxler are mem- 
bers of the United Brethren Church. In addition to his farming inter- 
ests Mr. Traxler is vice president and a director of the Northwestern 
Mutual Wind & Tornado Insurance Company. He is a thoroughly. 
competent farmer and operates his farm in conformity with the most 
modern of agricultural methods and his compensation for his years 
of effort is not entirely measured by his material prosperity, for he 
also holds dear the respect and trust he inspires in his neighborhood. 


Oscar W. Starr.—The great growth and development of the 
automobile industry has attracted to its ranks men from various voca- 
tions of life, and not a few of these have come from the country 
districts. One of the important concomitants of the business is that 
which deals with the housing problems of the industry, this necessitat- 
ing the presence of numerous well-fitted and conveniently situated 
garages throughout the country. Of the men who have come from 
the farming industry to become factors in the automobile business, 
one at West Unity who is making a success of his operations is Oscar 
W. Starr, proprietor of the Starr Garage. 

Mr. Starr was born on a farm three miles southwest of West 
Unity, in Williams County, Ohio, August 4, 1881, a son of E. W. and 
Catherine (Warren) Starr, the former a native of Richland County 
and the latter of Williams County, where both are now living on a 
Brady Township farm. The eldest of a family of four children, 
Oscar W. Starr was reared on the farm and as a lad attended the 
public schools of West Unity. When he was nineteen years of age 
he secured employment as a clerk in Welker’s dry goods store, at 
Bryan, but after two years returned to the farm. He continued to 
be engaged in farming and stock raising operations for fourteen 
years, his property being known as the Maple Leaf Stock Farm, a 
tract of eighty acres of well-cultivated land, and this he still owns, it 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 169 


being operated under his supervision. Mr. Starr took up his residence 
at West Unity March 1, 1919, at which time he opened to the public 
the establishment known as the Starr Garage, of which he has since 
been the proprietor. This is a commodious enterprise, which houses a 
great number of cars and which has attracted a constantly growing 
patronage. Mr. Starr maintains an efficient and well-equipped repair 
department, and also handles gasoline and all standard accessories and 
maintains a service station. His policy of fair dealing and honorable 
representation has gained him friends among the traveling public and 
standing in motor circles and his business record is one that evidences 
his progressiveness. 4 

Mr. Starr is a stockholder in the Farmers Commercial and Savings 
Bank of West Unity. As a fraternalist, he is affiliated with Evergreen 
Lodge No. 637, Knights of Pythias, and Superior Lodge No. 179, 
Free and Accepted Masons. His political allegiance is given to the 
republican party and he has taken active and helpful interest in public 
affairs, having served as a member of the West Unity school board, to 
which he belongs at this time, and as clerk of Jefferson Township. 
With his family he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

On October 14, 1911, Mr. Starr was united in marriage with Miss 
Leora Mann, of Williams County, and they are the parents of five 
daughters: Beulah, who is a pupil of the eleventh grade in the West 
Unity High School; and Hortense, Doris, Margaret and Naomi. Both 
Mr. and Mrs. Starr have numerous friends at West Unity and are 
held in high esteem. 


Cart Beacu.—The contribution of Carl Beach to the business 
interests of the thriving little city of West Unity, Ohio, is a partner- 
ship in a reliable and well-established undertaking and furniture 
business which has won public confidence and patronage through a 
policy of honorable dealing and honest representation. Mr. Beach 
belongs to a family whose members have stood high in the esteem of 
this community for many years and has passed his entire life within 
its borders. He was born at West Unity, January 13, 1879, a son of 
David and Elizabeth (Smith) Beach, the former a native of Pennsyl- 
vania and the latter of Williams County, Ohio. 

David Beach attended the public schools of the Keystone state © 
until he reached the age of sixteen years, and here grew to manhood. 
A natural mechanic, he became the proprietor of an establishment 
of his own, as well as a wagonmaker’s shop, which he conducted until 
the time of his death. Mr. Beach was a very devout Christian, and 


170 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he 
served as a member of the official board. He was a member of 
Superior Lodge No. 179, Free and Accepted Masons, and in 
politics was a republican. He always was a sincere friend of higher 


educational standards and for years belonged to the local board of © 


school directors. Mr. Beach and his worthy wife were the parents of 
eleven children, of whom six are living: Fred E., a resident of Mont- 
pelier, Ohio; Carl; Herman P. and Marcus D., both assocaited with 
their brother Carl in the undertaking and furniture business ; Mary, the 
wife of P. C. Short, of Archibald, Ohio, and Lizzie, the wife of H. W. 
Randels. ° : : 

Carl Beach was reared at West Unity and after his graduation 
from the high school secured employment in the gristmill, with which 
enterprise he continued to be identified for nine years. He then went 
to Montpelier, where he was conncted with a furniture business for 
two and one-half years, and then turned his attention to the insurance 
business, in which he spent four and one-half years. This was fol- 
l6wed by an experience in the ice business covering a period of four 
years, and eventually he embarked in the furniture line, with an under- 
taking business as a feature of the firm. The business is conducted 
as Beach Brothers, and from the start has been successful. The 
public has come to repose the fullest confidence in the brothers, who 
are men of known integrity, habits of probity and possessed of high 
business principles, and the enterprise has shown a marked increase 
each year during the comparatively short period of its existence. 
Mr. Beach is a Mason, belonging to Superior Lodge No. 179, and at 
present is serving as master thereof. He is a republican in politics. 

Mr. Beach married Jessie Eaton, of West Unity, a graduate of 
the local high school, and they have twin daughters, Lenore and 
Lucille, born February 21, 1905, who are attending high school. 
Mr. and Mrs. Beach are members of thé Methodist Episcopal Church 
at West Unity, Mr. Beach being a member of the official board. For 
some years he was superintendent of the Sunday school and at this 
time is acting as assistant. 


Joun M. ZimMeRMAN.—A man of unquestioned sagacity and 
intelligence, John M. Zimmerman, proprietor of the West Unity 
Flouring Mills, is actively associated with the advancement of the 
manufacturing and industrial interests of Williams County, and holds 
an honored position among the esteemed and valued citizens of West 
Unity. A son of Jerry Zimmermann, he was born March 25, 1869, in 


a ea eae 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 171 


Florence Township, this country, where he was brought up and 
educated. 

Jerry Zimmerman was born in Pennsylvania, and as a child was 
brought by his parents to Williams County, Ohio, and was educated 
in the rural schools of Florence Township. Enlisting in the Union 
army in 1862, he served as a soldier until the close of the Civil war, 
and is now an active member of the Hiram Louden Post No. 155, 
Grand Army of the Republic. Being honorably discharged from the 
service, he returned to Florence Township, and settled on a little 
farm of forty acres. Subsequently disposing of that land, he bought 
a farm lying southeast of Blakeslee, and after managing it success- 
fully for a time sold out, and moved to Montpelier, Williams County, 
where he is now a resident. He married Letitia Reader, who was also 
born in the Keystone state, and was brought up and educated in 
Florence Township, this county, where her parents located when 
she was a girl. He is a stanch republican in politics, and she is a 
devout member of the United Brethren Church. Five children were 
born of their union, as follows: Joseph, of Cleveland, Ohio; John M., 
the special subject of this sketch; Albert, living at home; William F., 
of Woodville, Ohio; and Mary, wife of Raymond Shaffer, of 
Montpelier, Ohio. 

Growing to manhood on the home farm, John M. Zimmerman 


obtained a practical education in the district schools, and acquired an 


excellent knowledge of agriculture on the home farm, where he 
remained until twenty-two years old. Going to Montpelier in 1890, 
he learned the miller’s trade, and there followed it for ten years, being 
head miller. Migrating to Indiana, he leased a mill at Laotto, and 
operated it two years. Continuing in Indiana, Mr. Zimmerman rented 
a mill in Ashley, where he remained eighteen months, and the follow- 
ing year was in Middlebury, where he had rented a mill. Returning 
to Williams County in 1905, he bought the West Unity Flouring Mills, 
and has since carried on a large and highly remunerative business, his 
plant having a capacity of fifty barrels of flour a day. Mr. Zimmer- 
man has other interests, being a stockholder in the Farmers Com- 
mercial and Savings Bank. 

In November, 1894, Mr. Zimmerman was united in marriage with 
Mary E. Camp, of Florence Township, and they have one child, 
Mabel E., born November 14, 1910. Mr. Zimmerman is a republican 
in politics, but not an office seeker. Both he and his wife are 
members of the Christian Church at West Unity. Fraternally he 
is a member of Superior Lodge No. 179, Free and Accepted 


172 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Order of Masons, and of the Order of the Eastern Star, to which 
Mrs. Zimmerman also belongs. 


Joun Mirter.—lInheriting to a marked degree the habits of 
industry, honesty and thrift characteristic of his pioneer ancestors, 
John Miller has accumulated a fair share of this world’s goods, and 
is now living in West Unity, Williams County, retired from active 
pursuits, enjoying all the comforts, and many of the luxuries, of 
modern life. A son of William C. Miller, he was born August 23, 
1870, in Brady Township, on a farm lying three miles south of West 
Unity. His paternal grandparents, John and Rebecca (Carl) Miller, 
removed from Richland County to Williams County in early pioneer 
days, and on the farm which they improved spent their remaining 
days. 

Born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1834, Williams C. Miller was 
but six months old when brought by his parents to Williams County, 
where he was brought up and educated. When ready to begin life as 
a farmer, he settled down three miles south of West Unity, and was 
there actively and prosperously engaged in agricultural pursuits until 
his death, in 1910. His wife, whose maiden name was Margaret L. 
Rowles, was born in Lima, Ohio, April 14, 1845, a daughter of Alfred 
M. and Matilda (Green) Rowles, who settled in Bryan in 1848 and 
later removed to Marshall County, Indiana. Six children were born 
into their home, as follows: Edward, of Bryan, Ohio; Carrie, wife of 
J. C. Venier, of Chicago, Illinois; John, the special subject of this 
sketch; and H. C., auditor of Williams County; and two children who 
died in early life. A stanch republican in politics, William C. Miller 
was active in public affairs, and very influential. Both he and his wife 
were liberal in their religious beliefs, and were among the more promi- 
nent and active members of the First Universalist Church of Stryker, 
which they helped to build, and of which they were charter members. 

Educated in the rural schools of Brady Township, John Miller 
became familiar with the many branches of agriculture when young, 
and finding farming congenial to his tastes remained on the parental 
estate of 175 acres until 1913, finding both pleasure and profit in 
managing it, as a farmer and stock raiser being successful. Retiring 
from active pursuits in 1913, Mr. Miller has since resided in West 
Unity, where he has valuable interests. He is a stockholder in the 
Farmers Commercial and Savings Bank, and likewise in the Stryker 
Telephone Company, both substantial enterprises. At the time of his 
father’s death, the Miller estate consisted of 335 acres, but a part of 
it has been sold. Mr. Miller has never married. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 173 


WituiaM C, Lincie, C. C. LinGLe.—Owning and superintending 
the management of one of the most highly improved farms of Spring- 
field Township, William C. Lingle and C. C. Lingle stand prominent * 
among those native born citizens of the township who have spent 
their entire lives within its limits, and have aided in every possible 
way its growth and development, whether relating to its agricultural, 
industrial, or financial interests. They are of pioneer stock, their 
paternal grandfather, Thomas Lingle, having come to Williams County 
at a very early period of its settlement, and though he entered from 
the government a tract of land containing 1,000 acres in Springfield 
Township, he never lived upon it, but divided the tract among his 
children, his son John, father of the subjects of this sketch, receiving 
his share. 

John Lingle was born and reared in Pennsylvania. As a young 
man he came to Williams County, Ohio, and assuming possession of 
the land given him by his father improved a farm in Springfield 
Township, and was subsequently industriously engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits the remainder of his days. He was a democrat in his 
political relations, and a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Evansport, and one of its liberal supporters. He married 
in the southern part of Ohio, Catherine Belford, a native of this 
state, and six of the ten children born into their household are now, 
in 1919, living, as follows: Sarah, widow of S. R. Mapes, of Toledo, 
Ohio; Jane, widow of H. S. Gurwell; Benjamin, living near Edon, 
Williams County; George, residing in the West; and William C. and 
C. C., subjects of this brief sketch. 

Messrs. Lingle own 240 acres of rich and fertile land, one-half of 
it being in Springfield Township, and the other half in Pulaski Town- 
ship. Possessing a thorough knowledge of agriculture, they are meet- 
ing with most satisfactory results as general farmers and stock raisers, 
their herd of Shorthorn cattle being especially noteworthy. 

William C. Lingle was born on the farm where he has always 
lived, his birth having occurred. May 10, 1857. He received a prac- 
tical education in the rural schools, and while assisting his father 
obtained an insight into the mysteries of agriculture. Taking kindly 
to farming, he chose it as his life work, and has been exceedingly 
prosperous, the result of his labors being evident to the passerby. He 
married Etta Paxton, who died in early womanhood, about twenty- 
one years ago, leaving two children, namely: Grace, wife of Philip 
Hare; and Clara, wife of Walter Hollinger, of Bryan, Ohio. Mr. Lin- 
gle is a democrat in politics, but has never sought public office. Fra- 


174 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ternally he is a member, and past grand, of Evansport Lodge No. 489, 


Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also belongs to the 


Encampment. 

Born on the parental homestead April 7, 1860, C. C. Lingle was 
educated in the district schools, and in common with his brothers 
gained agricultural knowledge and experience while assisting his 


father on the home farm. Finding farming pleasant and profitable, 


he has continued his operations as a farmer and stock raiser, and has 
met with well deserved success. He married Salina Posey, and they 
have no children. Politically he is a stanch adherent of the democratic 


party. 


OrLanpo Ew1nc.—Prominent among those energetic and progres- 
sive agriculturists of Williams County who have accumulated con- 
siderable wealth as general farmers, and are now living retired from 
active care and responsibilities, is Orlando Ewing, of Bryan, Ohio, 
who has a modernly constructed home at No. 915 West High street. 
A native of Ohio, he was born, July 26, 1852, in Defiance County, 
coming on both sides of the house of good old Pennsylvania stock. 

His parents, William and Margaret (Brubaker) Ewing, were 
born, educated, and married in Pennsylvania. Coming from there to 
Ohio in 1851, he located on a farm lying six miles northwest of 
Defiance, in Defiance County, it being in Noble Township. Improv- 
ing the land, and placing it in a tillable condition, he and his faithful 
wife there spent their remaining days. They were held in high 
respect by their neighbors and friends, being people of tried and 
trusted integrity, and though they were religiously inclined were never 
affiliated with any church. They reared seven children, as follows: 
Orlando, the special subject of this sketch ; Ananias, engaged in farm- 
ing in Michigan ; Leander, deceased; Hattie, deceased; Amos, living 
in Defiance, Ohio; Ellen, wife of Alfred Sell, living on the home 
farm; and Albert, of Toledo, Ohio. 

Growing to man’s estate on the parental homestead in Defiance 
County, Orlando Ewing received his education in the rural schools of 
Noble Township, and under his father’s guidance obtained a practical 
insight into the methods of farming as then carried on, that having 
been long before the days of the labor-saving machinery now used 
in every branch of agriculture. Leaving home on becoming of age, 
Mr. Ewing worked as a farm laborer, by the day or month, for a 
short time, and after his marriage was engaged as a carpenter and 
contractor in Defiance County until 1888. Being then elected sheriff 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 175 


of Defiance County on the democratic ticket, he served acceptably for 
four years. Locating in Mark Township, that county, in 1892, 
Mr. Ewing bought land, and was there engaged in farming for nine 
years, when, still retaining the management of his farm, he moved 
to Sherwood, Ohio. In 1912 he sold that property, and in 1913 came 
to Bryan, Willaims County, and having erected his present residence 
moved into it the same year. He has made wise investments of his 
money. . 

Mr. Ewing married, January 20, 1873, Lucy A. Stotler, who was 
born in Knox County, Ohio, July 16, 1855, and was educated in the 
rural schools of Defiance County, and the graded schools of Defiance, 
Ohio. True to the political faith in which he was reared, Mr. Ewing 
is a democrat, and loyal to the principles of his party. 


RANDOLPH BakKER—For many years active in advancing the 
agricultural interests of Williams County, Randolph Baker is now 
enjoying the reward of his many years of patient toil, living, retired 
from active business cares, in Bryan, his home being at 906 West 
High street. A-son of Peter Baker, he was born, in July, 1859, in 
Richland County, Ohio, where he lived until six years of age. 

Peter Baker was born, bred and educated in Pennsylvania, and 
in that state married Nancy A. Randolph, who was a Virginian by 
birth and breeding. Coming from the Keystone state to Ohio, he first 
located in Richland County. After farming in that locality a few 
years, he came, in 1866, to Jefferson Township, Williams County, 
where he continued as a farmer until 1872. In that year he moved 
with his family to Pulaski Township, and on the farm which he 
improved spent his remaining days. A man of much ability and intel- 
ligence, he was active in the democratic ranks, taking a practical 
interest in public affairs, and both he and his wife were identified by 
membership with the Christian Church. All of their children grew 
to years of maturity, as follows: W. A., living in Nebraska; George 
W., who lost his life in the Civil war; Martha C., widow of Henry C. 
Cline; Jane Mary, wife of H. O. Cline; Frances E., wife of H. W. 
Scott; Barbara E., wife of George Wise, of Pulaski Township; and 
Randolph, of whom we write; and J. A., deceased. 

A young lad when he came with the family to Williams County, 
Randolph Baker was educated in the common schools, and developed 
into manhood on the home farm, being there trained to the habits of 
industry and economy that have since won him success, and gained 
for him the respect and esteem of his fellow men. Assuming the 


176 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


management of the parental homestead in 1872, Mr. Baker managed 
it ably and skilfully until 1898, placing its sixty acres of land in a 
fine state of culture, with improvements of a substantial character. 
Coming to Bryan upwards of twenty years ago, he has since made it 
his home, and has taken a genuine interest in its affairs. Hs is a 
stanch democrat in politics, and a valued member of the United 
Brethren Church. 

Mr. Baker married, in 1880, Emma Robinson, a native of Michi- 
gan, and they are the parents of three children, namely: Maude, wife 
of C. F. Weingardner, a well-known farmer, living on the home farm; 
Goldie M., wife of George Charles, lives with her parents; and Ruth, 
a graduate of the Bryan High School, and of the Ohio Wesleyan 
University, at Delaware, is the wife of Glenn C. Vollmer, who served 
in the World war as second lieutenant. 


CuarLes OLIveR WINELAND.—While there had been two or three 
generations of the Wineland family in Blair County, Pennsylvania, 
its history began in 1853 in Williams County with the coming of 
Daniel Wineland from Knox County, Ohio. The three brothers: 
James M., Samuel S. and Charles O. Wineland of Bryan, are in the 
third generation of Winelands in Williams County. 

Daniel Wineland, founder of the house of Wineland in Williams 
County, was born November 9, 1806, in Blair County, Pennsylvania, 
and on August 25, 1828, he married Elizabeth Lantz. She was born 
April 11, 1807, and they grew up together in Blair County. In 1829, 
within one year from the time of their marriage, they took up their 
home in Knox! County. In 1829 the family history began in Ohio, 
and in 1853 it began in Williams County. The children born to 
Daniel and Elizabeth Wineland were: Jacob, Hannah, John, William, 
Elizabeth, Susannah, Mary, Samuel, Daniel, Catherine, Nancy, Henry 
and Sarah Jane. Their mother died August 23, 1851, in Knox 
County. 

After living twenty-four years in Knox County Daniel Wineland 
and his children came by wagon to Williams County. On February 
24, 1861, he married Sarah Musser, and to them were born the fol- 
lowing children: Eliza W., George B., David and Emma. Their 
mother died March 6, 1886, and Daniel Wineland died May 31, 1893, 
almost seven years later. When this skétch was written, A. D. 1920, 
only Samuel of the older set of Wineland children was living, and the © 
three Wineland brothers already mentioned as living in Bryan are 
sons of John L. Wineland, who was born March 3, 1832, in Knox 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 177 


County. He was twenty-one years old when he came with his father 
to Williams County. 

While there were no railroads when the Winelands came to 
Williams County it was not long until they were able to leave the 
country by rail, and yet Daniel Wineland knew all of the hardships 
and privations of the pioneers. The family lived in Jefferson Town- 
ship and here on February 14, 1857, John L. Wineland married Ellen 
Oliver, who belonged to one of the earliest families in Williams County. 
She was born November 7, 1835, at a time when there were but few 
white families in Jefferson Township, and her entire life was passed 
in one community. She died at the Wineland family homestead in 
Jefferson Township, January 24, 1903, while John L. Wineland died 
July 17, 1913, at the home of C. O. Wineland in Bryan. 

In 1822 John Oliver, who was a bachelor living in Virginia, made 
a hunting trip through Kentucky ‘and Ohio and he liked the wild lands 
of northwestern Ohio so well that when he returned to Virginia he 
induced a brother, Eli, who was married, to immigrate into the newer 
country, and from Virginia he came to Todd County, Kentucky, where 
he lived for a time, finally coming to Pickaway County, Ohio, and 
in 1833 he was among the early settlers in Williams County. In 
1834 Mr. Oliver invested in land in Jefferson Township where he 


lived the remainder of his days. He first bought forty acres in the 


wilderness and later he bought another forty and then acquired title 
to an eighty-acre tract, and when he had a quarter section of land he 
had paid $200 for it. This was government land and the old deeds 
are still in existence. 

Eli Oliver married Lucinda Corder while yet a resident of Vir- 
ginia. Eleven children were born to them: Virginia, James, John, 
Jackson, Frances, Ellen (Mrs. John L. Wineland), Mary, Isabel and 
Cynthia, and two who died in infancy. It is said that the uncle, John 
Oliver, who induced Eli Oliver and his wife to leave Virginia and 
led them finally to Williams County, was a great hunter, and that he 
killed 150 deer in his time. There were other hunters in the family, 
and some of the old guns and other weapons are now treasured as 
heirlooms by the Wineland brothers living in Bryan today. Williams 
County was full of Indians when Eli Oliver came, and Mrs. Lucinda 
Oliver would supply them cornmeal in exchange for wild honey. One 
time she bought twenty-five pounds of honey brought to her door in a 
deer skin, not because she wanted the honey, but because she did not 
wish to get into disfavor with the Indians. She had heard that Indians 
never harmed settlers who treated them well, and she bought the 
honey, giving cornmeal in exchange for it. 

Vol. Ii—1i2 


178 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


The Olivers had been in Williams County twenty years when the 
Winelands came, and Eli Oliver knew all about three or four days 
being consumed in a trip to the mill in Defiance or Maumee with corn 
to have it ground, or for any of the necessities they did not produce 
in the cabin manufacturing establishment operated by every family 
that long ago. Mrs. Martha Fields, a sister to Mrs. Lucinda Oliver, 
also once lived in Williams County. The Olivers had their part in 
developing the wild land of Jefferson Township, and while they came 
from Harper’s Ferry in Virginia, the older ones have long since gone 
the way of the world, and many of them lie buried in the Oliver 
cemetery on the old family homestead in Jefferson Township. While 
this sacred spot is no longer used as a place of burial, they will sleep 
the sleep of the ages there. Beside the three sons: J. M., S. S. and 
C. O. Wineland, the children born to John Lantz and Ellen (Oliver) 
Wineland were: Orlando J., John Seymour, Bertha E., and an infant 
who had not been given a name. 

Orlando J. Wineland married Amy Harrington. The others were 
unmarried. James M. Wineland married Louella Richards, and to 
them was born one daughter, Grace. Samuel S. Wineland married 
Frances Beerbower. Charles O. Wineland married Retta Brannon, 
and to them was born one daughter, Midgie. Mrs. Wineland and her 
daughter are lying side by side in Schiffer cemetery. On January 30, 
1907, Mr. Wineland married Mary Mae Garver, a daughter of Amos 
C. Garver of Defiance County. Through his father, Isaac Garver, the 
family is related to the Garvers of Wayne and Medina counties. None 
of the immediate Garver relatives live in Williams County. Mr. and 
Mrs. Wineland have one daughter, Kathryn Arlene. The family are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Bryan. Mr. Wineland 
is a member and he has filled all of the chairs in the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows lodge in Bryan. He is also a member of the 
Knights of Pythias lodge in Bryan. 

The Wineland family vote has always been cast with the demo- 
cratic party. Samuel S. Wineland has served as sheriff of Williams 
County. For many years C. O. Wineland has had his share of build- 
ing contracts in Bryan, and his father and uncle Samuel Wineland 
were both carpenters for thirty years in Williams County. Samuel 
Wineland, who is past four store years of age, spent four years of 
his life in the Civil war. C. O. Wineland was not at the age to enlist 
in any of the wars that have drawn upon the soldier citizens of 
Williams County. 

Since 1894 the Wineland family has met in annual reunions, and 
Samuel Wineland of West Unity is the honorary president. There 


- 
—_-- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 479 


are Wineland relatives in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, and the annual 
meetings have been held in three states and sometimes at the homes 
and sometimes in parks, Garver park in Bryan sometimes being the 
meeting place in Williams County. . Sometimes relatives from Penn- 
sylvania and eastern Ohio are in attendance at these Wineland family 
reunions. As a carpenter Mr. Wineland has a well-equipped shop at 
his home in Bryan, and many families depend on him when they want 
improvements made about their homesteads. He was the first man 
to construct an Aladdin house in Bryan. 


Herotp A. Grartz—One of the men who has made his name a 
household one in Williams County is Herold A. Graetz, proprietor of 
the Melbern-Ney Light & Power System, of Bryan. He was born at 
Melbern, Ohio, on December 3, 1885, a son of August L. and Chris- 
tina (Frich) Graetz, both of whom were born in the United States, 
and they were married in Williams County, Ohio. For the past thirty- 
seven years August L. Graetz has been station agent at Melbern, Ohio, 
and is one of the reliable men of his road, and one who holds the 
confidence of his community. While not active in politics he votes the 
democratic ticket. He and his wife became the parents of the fol- 
lowing children: Herold A., who is the eldest; Frances B., who is 
the wife of H. M. Brannan, of Bryan, Ohio; Clyde B., a farmer, of 
St. Joseph Township; and Donelda, who married P. R. Viers, of 
Edgerton, Ohio. 

Herold A. Graetz was reared in Melbern and attended its schools 
until he was seventeen years old. His first work was for the local 
telephone company, and then two years later he went into a mercan- 
tile establishment at Melbern and continued with it until, eight years 
later, he was elected recorder of Williams County on the democratic 
ticket. Some idea of his personal popularity .can be gained from the 
fact that he received a majority of 315 votes in a county that had a 
republican majority of 734 votes. During the one term he was in 
office he served very capably and gave satisfaction to people of both 
parties and the public generally. Prior to coming to Bryan, he had 
established his present business, and since completing his official work, 
he has devoted himself to it. 

On January 8, 1906, Mr. Graetz was united in marriage with 
Flossie E. Bradford, born in Center Township, Williams County, Ohio, 
on December 17, 1888, a daughter of Charles and Viola (Stauffer) 
Bradford. She attended the common schools of the county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Graetz became the parents of three children, namely: Juanita, 
who was born September 1, 1906; Bernard, who was born on October 


180 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


11, 1909; and Donald Paul, born August 22, 1920. Mr. Graetz is a 
member of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. His progress has 
been steady and normal. Public-spirited to a marked degree, he is 
usually to be found in the front ranks of any movement which has for 
its object the hetterment of existing conditions, for he realizes that 
unless improvements are made no locality can keep abreast of the 
times. 


Cuartes M. Sitcox.—To successfully carry on large enterprises 
under modern conditions, men of business ability and solid judgment 
are essential. In looking over the general field it is a matter of com- 
ment that a great proportion of such men occupying responsible posi- 
tions in those organizations designed to provide better security and 
more helpful features relative to agricultural production, have been 
called from the discipline of the farm, their practical knowledge being 
of far more value than the theoretical training of a college. An enter- 
prise of large importance at Bryan, Ohio, which is well financed and 
sensibly officered is found in the Farmers Co-operative Elevator Com- 
pany, of which Charles M. Silcox is president. 

Charles M. Silcox was born May 22, 1869, in Pulaski Township, 
Williams County, Ohio. His parents were Alfred and Cyrena (Gil- 
bert) Silcox, both of whom were born and reared in Seneca County, 
Ohio. Shortly after their marriage in Seneca County, the father 
of Mr. Silcox enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a mem- 
ber of Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-Fourth Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, in which he completed an enlistment of three months. After 
coming back to Seneca County, he farmed for a time, then moved 
to Michigan, but later returned to Ohio and settled on a farm situated 
two and a half miles east of Bryan, in Williams County. There he 
engaged in farming and resided until 1910, when he moved into the 
city and died at Bryan, December 31, 1918. He was a man of ster- 
ling character and commanded general respect. As long as he lived 
he took great interest in the Grand Army of the Republic, attending 
post meetings whenever possible. Although no office seeker he was a 
sturdy republican and loyally supported the candidates that upheld 
party principles that he felt convinced were right. Both he and his 
wife were members of the Christian Church. They had four children 
born to them, namely: Metta, who is the wife of George McConnell, 
of Bryan; Jennie, who is the wife of L. J. Nicely; Charles M.; and 
Iva, who is the wife of J. De Leiper, of Illinois. The mother of the 
above family survives. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 181 


Charles M. Silcox had country school privileges and public schoot 
advantages at Bryan. He assisted his father on the home farm, where 
general farm industries were carried on in a thorough manner, and 
continued farm pursuits until 1919, when he moved into Bryan and 
took possession of his comfortable residence on Center Street. Mr. Sil- 
cox was active in the organization of the Farmers Co-operative Eleva- 
tor Company at Bryan and as vice-president has carefully looked 
after its enlarging interests. He became president of this company 
in June, 1920. He is a stockholder also in the elevator at Pulaski. - 

On September 25, 1890, Mr. Silcox was united in marriage to 
Miss Daisy Lockhart, and they have three children, namely: Hazel, 
who was graduated from the Bryan High School and then took a 
course in the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College, having unusual 
musical talent; Cecil D. and Marjorie, the latter attending school at 
Bryan. Mr. Silcox and his family are members of the English 
Lutheran Church at Bryan, in which he has been a deacon for some 
years. He is past master of Bryan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons 
and belongs to Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, 
being high priest at the present writing. He is identified also with the 
Knights of Maccabees. A republican all his life, Mr. Silcox has been 
politically active only as an intelligent, earnest citizen desirous of peace, 
order and justice in civic affairs and sincere Americanism in all that 
relates to national policies. 


Harry W. Ho.e.—A_ wide-awake, enterprising and progressive 
young business man of Bryan, Williams County, Harry W. Hole, 
manager of the H. B. Hole Poultry House, is prominently identified 
with one of the leading industries of the place, buying, picking, and 
shipping poultry on an extensive scale, his business extending far and 
wide. A son of Isaiah Hole, he was born in 1882 in Darke County, 
Ohio, where his early life was spent. 

Coming from pioneer stock, Isaiah Hole was born in Versailles, 
Ohio, where he was for many years in the employ of the Standard Oil 
Company. An uncompromising republican in politics, he was active 
in the party, and as a member, and past grand, of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, was well known in fraternal circles. He mar- 
ried Sarah Murphy, a native of Newburgh, New York, and they 
became the parents of nine children, as follows: Harry W., the special 
subject of this brief sketch; Charles, of Vernon, British Columbia ; 
Caroden, manager of a poultry house at Covington, Ohio; George, 
with his brother Harry, in Bryan; Mary, wife of George E. Pessinger ; 


182 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Irma, a stenographer, with her brother Charles in British Columbia ; 
James, of Minneapolis, Minnesota ; and Grace and Margaret, both 
stenographers in Dayton, Ohio. ~ 

Acquiring his. preliminary education in the public schools of *Ver- 
sailles, Harry W. Hole was graduated from its high school, after 
which he was variously employed for a time. Having obtained some 
knowledge of the poultry business, he became manager of a poultry 
house at Arcanum, Darke County, and there continued in the employ 
of the same firm until 1916. Coming in that year to Bryan, he has 
since had control of the H. B. Hole Poultry House, and in its manage- 
ment has met with characteristic success, having built up a large and 
lucrative business, highly gratifying to his employers. 

Mr. Hole married, in 1908, Bertha R. Minnich, who was born in 
Darke County, Ohio, and was graduated from the Arcanum High 
School. Mr. and Mrs. Hole have no children. True to the political 
faith in which he was reared, Mr. Hole is identified with the repub- 
lican party, and while a resident of Arcanum served as a member of 
the common council. Fraternally he is a member of Arcanum Lodge. 
No. 295, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; of Arcanum Chapter 
No. 77, Royal Arch Masons, and of Greenville Council, Royal and. 
Select Masters. His brother George, who is associated with him 
in business, is a Scottish Rite, thirty-second degree Mason. 


Leroy M. Gorvon, D. C—Each calling or profession, if honorable, 
has its place in human existence, constituting a part of the plan 
whereby life’s methods are pursued and man reaches his ultimate des- 
tiny. Emerson said that “All are needed by each one.” And that is 
as true in one averiue of life’s activities as in another. However, the 
importance of a business or profession is in a very large measure 
determined by its beneficence or usefulness. So dependent is man 
upon his fellow man that the worth of each individual is largely reck- 
oned by what he has done for humanity. There is no class to whorh 
greater gratitude is due than to those sympathetic, noble-minded men 
whose life work has been the alleviation of suffering that rests upon 
humanity, thus lengthening the span of human existence. There is no 
no known standard by which their beneficent influence. can be meas- 
ured; their helpfulness is as broad as the universe and their power 
goes hand in hand with the wonderful laws of nature that come from 
the very source of life itself. : 

Leroy M. Gordon, of Montpelier, one of the best known and most 
successful chiropractors in northwestern Ohio, is a native of Williams 
County, having been born at Pioneer on October 1, 1884, and is the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 183 


son of Augustine N. and Eva (Siddall) Gordon, both of whom were 
natives of the state of Michigan. These parents, after their marriage, 
came to Williams County and located first in Pioneer, where the 
father followed the vocation of teaching, being successful and popular 
in that profession. He and his wife now reside at Bristol, Indiana. 
Mrs. Gordon is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They 
became the parents of three children, two of whom are now living, 
the subject of this sketch, and Gale A., a railroad man living at Elkhart, 
Indiana. ‘ 

Leroy M. Gordon was about six years of age when the family 
moved to Indiana and he received his education in the public schools 
of Elkhart, graduating from the high school. His first employment 
was as a drug clerk at Elkhart and he later engaged in the furniture 
business there. Then for about two years he was employed as a loco- 
motive fireman on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, 
and at the end of that period he took up the life work for which he 
had planned. He entered the Palmer School of Chiropractic, at Dav- 
enport, lowa, known as “the fountain head of chiropractic,” where he 
completed the full course, graduating in 1907 with the degree of Doc- 
tor of Chiropractic. He first located for the practice of his profes- 
sion in Oregon, where he remained about four years, at the end of 
which time he returned to Williams County and located at Montpelier, 
where he has remained until the present time. He has met with most 
pronounced success and has built up a representative and lucrative 
patronage, covering a wide range of surrounding country. 

Doctor Gordon was married to Ella J. Sage and they are the 
parents of two children, Beatrice and Edwin L. Politically, the 
doctor is an earnest supporter of the democratic party. He is a mem- 
ber of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, the Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of the Maccabees and Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. Personally, Doctor Gordon is genial 
‘and approachable, has a host of warm and loyal personal friends, and 
is held in the highest esteem throughout the community. 


W. D. CaMPBELL.—Manufacturing enterprise contributes to the 
commercial prosperity of Bryan and those connected with lumber 
interests are of exceeding importance. A great amount of capital has 
been invested here and lumber mill enterprises are numbered with the 
city’s most productive assets. One of the large lumber concerns that is 
foremost here in its volume of business is the Campbell Lumber Com- 
pany, in which W. D. Campbell is interested and of which he is the 
able and energetic manager. 


184 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


W. D. Campbell was born January 23, 1885, at Marion, Grant 
County, Indiana, and is a’son of George B. and Ida M. (Woolsey) 
Campbell. He attended the public schools at Marion and after being 
graduated from the high school, entered Purdue University at La Fay- 
ette, where he remained until 1906, when he was graduated with the 
degrees of B. S. and E. E. His first professional work was done in 
the construction department of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, 
and gave attention to civil engineering problems for some time before 
becoming interested in the lumber business at Stryker, Ohio. The 
widened field of choice of vocation is one of the many advantages 
afforded by thorough educational training, and in the lumber industry 
Mr. Campbell found a congenial field of effort. From Stryker he 
came to Bryan, where he has become a vigorous and successful busi- 
ness man and earnest citizen. 

On April 25, 1912, W. D. Campbell was united in marriage to 
Miss Susanna Leas, who was born at Marion, Indiana, and is a grad- 
uate of the high school of that city. Mrs. Campbell is highly gifted 
musically and is the organist of the Presbyterian Church at Bryan, 
and is much sought after in musical circles. 

There are few thoughtful, intelligent business men of the day who 
do not take some measure of interest in political questions and 
Mr. Campbell, from his standpoint of good citizenship, has always felt 
his duty to lie in supporting the principles of the republican party. 
He is a member of Evansport Lodge No. 215, Free and Accepted 
Masons and Bryan Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and belongs also 
to the Knights of Pythias, the Elks and the United Commercial 


Travelers’ organization. 


Grorce P. Etzriort.—In looking around for men of vigorous and 
forcible character who have taken important and prominent part in 
the affairs of men, the biographer is not expected to deal only with 
national figures, for in the smaller communities are found men of 
action, capable and earnest, whose talents, enterprise and energy com- 
mand the respect of their fellowmen. That the lives of such persons 
should have their public record is peculiarly proper, because a knowl- 
edge of men whose substantial fame rests upon their attainments, char- 
acter and success must necessarily exert a wholesome influence on the 
rising generation in their community. In this connection it is appro- 
priate to review the career of George P. Elliott, ex-treasurer of Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, and a substantial and highly esteemed business 
citizen of West Unity. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 185 


Mr. Elliott was born in Stark County, Ohio, March 1, 1849, a son 
of Thomas G. and Narcissa (Pierce) Elliott, the former a native of 
Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. They were married in Stark 
County, where, at Fulton, Thomas G. Elliott began his career as a 
clerk, later going to Cleveland in the capacity of bookkeeper. In 1860 
he came to West Unity and established himself in business as a general 
merchant, and for many years held not only the patronage but the 
respect and confidence of the people of his community. He was active 
in politics as a, republican and was elected treasurer of Brady Town- 
ship, a position which he filled with efficiency and conscientious atten- 
tion to duty. He was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, lived his faith every day, and died therein at a ripe old age in 
1897. He and his worthy and faithful wife were the parents of three 
children: Garretson, who met an accidental death by drowning; 
George P., and William G., deceased. 

George P. Elliott acquired his education by attendance at the local 
schools of West Unity, having been brought here as a boy of about 
eleven years of age. When he put aside his school books he began to 
secure an introduction to business methods in the general store of his 
father and gradually acquired the qualifications so necessary to the 
success of a merchant. At the time of the elder man’s death he 
assumed the management of the enterprise, which he has continued to 
conduct in a highly honorable manner and which is justly accounted 
one of the substantial business ventures of the city. Mr. Elliott has 
various business connections, is the owner of his comfortable home 
and modern business room at West Unity, and is likewise a stock- 
holder in the Farmers Commercial Savings Bank. He and his wife 
were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he 
has retained his membership since her death in 1916. She was a past 
matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, to which her daughter still 
belongs, while Mr. Elliott is a member of Superior Lodge No. 179, 
Free and Accepted Masons. In politics a republican, Mr. Elliott 
has served as a member of the West Unity Council, and in 1891 
was elected treasurer of Williams County, taking office in Sep- 
tember, 1892, and serving with splendid efficiency for four years, dur- 
-ing which time he won the full approval and confidence of the people 
of his community. 

In May, 1894, Mr. Elliott was united in marriage with Anna Brit- 
ton Werts, who was born in Center Township, Williams County, and 
to this union there was born one daughter, Georgiana, a graduate of 
West Unity High School, who is now in her third year in the Ohio 
State University. 


186 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS: COUNTY 


C. C. Coox.—Talent alone cannot make a book; there must be a 
man behind the book,” writes Emerson, and, had the American philos- 
opher been discussing agricultural matters as well as those pertaining 
to literature, he might have added: “Plowing alone cannot make a 
farm; there must be a man behind the plow,” a man, too, possessed of 
the necessary qualifications ; a man of brain and brawn and industrious 
habits that are bound to lead to success and comfortable competence, 
as in the case of C. C. Cook, one of the substantial agriculturists of 
Pulaski Township, Williams County. , 

Mr. Cook was born at Shelbyville, Missouri, July 19, 1866, a son 
of Daniel and Caroline (Keller) Cook, the former a native of Pennsyl- 
vania and the latter of Knox County, Ohio, where they were married. 
From Knox County, Ohio, they came to Williams County, this state, 
and settled in Jefferson Township, and while living here Daniel Cook 
entered the Union army during the war between the states and con- 
tinued to serve until the close of the great struggle. When his military 
career was finished, he disposed of his interests and moved to Mis- 
souri, where he lived for eighteen months, then returning to Williams 
County and again settling in Jefferson Township. After living on 
that farm for a period of ten years, he moved to a property located 
one mile east of Pulaski and there both he and his wife died, both in 
the faith of the Reformed Church. He was a democrat in politics, but 
took only a good citizen’s part in public affairs. He and his wife were 
the parents of seven daughters and three sons, of whom six daughters 
and two sons are living: Ella, who is the wife of Enoch Stall; Jennie, 
who is the wife of Michael Shaffer, of Westminster, Ohio; Lillie, who 
is the wife of George W. Morey, of Michigan; Alma, who is the wife 
of S. P. Alttifer, of California; C. C., of this notice; Sherman, who 
is engaged in farming near Alverton, Williams County ; Orpha, who is 
the wife of James W. Christy, and Josie, the wife of Albert Bauer, 
living near Kunkle, Ohio. 

C. C. Cook was a child of eighteen months when brought by his 
parents from his Missouri birthplace to his new home in Williams 
County, and here his education was acquired in the public schools. He 
remained at home with his parents, as the associate of his father on 
the home acres, until he was twenty-three years of age, and at that 
time, in December, 1888, was united in marriage with Dinsy Glenn, 
who was born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1865, and there educated 
in the public schools. Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Cook 
moved to a farm two miles southeast of West Unity, then located on 
a farm in Jefferson Township, and finally came to their present home 


* 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 187 


of fifteen acres which is located in Pulaski Township, and he has a 
132-acre farm in Center Township. Mr. Cook has a_ well-cul- 
tivated property upon which he raises the standard crops of the local- 
ity and also carries on stock raising to some extent. He uses modern 
methods and has progressive ideas and his work has prospered accord- 
ingly. In his political preferences he is a democrat, but has not sought 
public office, although as a good citizen he has supported all measures 
which have promised to benefit the community and enhance the wel- 
fare of the people. Mr. Cook is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator 
Company at Bryan. 


Utysses P. BroGNARD.—A prominent, progressive and prosperous 
agriculturist of Springfield Township, Ulysses P. Brognard, owner of 
Fountain Ridge Farm, which is situated six and a half miles east of 
Bryan, has been an important factor in developing and promoting the 
agricultural prosperity of this section of Williams County, and as a 
general farmer has met with good success. He is of French ancestry 
on both sides of the house, and was born December 22, 1884, in 
Springfield Township. 

Emil Brognard, his father, was born in France, and as a small boy 
came with his parents to Ohio, and was brought up and educated in 
Stryker, Williams County. He there met, wooed and won Louise 
Peugeot, a native of France, who was brought by her parents to 
Stryker when a child. After his marriage, he lived first on a farm 
lying east of Stryker, and the following year bought land in Pulaski 
Township, where he carried on farming for awhile. He subsequently 
removed to Stryker, where he spent the closing years of his life, dying 
in June, 1917. His wife, who was born in France on April 3, 1853, 
survived him, and died on the farm of her son Ulysses in June, 1918. 
The father was a democrat in politics, and a member of Elm Grove 
Grange. Both he and his wife, true to the religious faith in which 
they were reared, were members of the Lutheran Church. 

The only child of his parents, Ulysses P. Brognard spent the days 
of his boyhood and youth in Pulaski Township, and was educated in 
the Elm Grove schools, where he completed the studies of the eighth 
grade. Becoming well versed in agricultural lore while assisting his 
father, he selected the free and independent life of a farmer, and soon 
after his marriage bought the Fountain Ridge Farm of eighty acres, 
and has since devoted his efforts to its improvement, each year adding 
to its attractiveness and value. Mr. Brognard has one of the finest 
appointed farms in the locality, it being under a good state of culture, 


188 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


with substantial buildings, which are models of comfort and con- 
venience. A man of good business tact and ability, Mr. Brognard is a 
stockholder in the Farmers Co-operative Grain Elevator at Bryan, 
and owns valuable residential property in Stryker. 

On December 25, 1906, Mr. Brognard was united in marriage with 
Loretta Gurwell, a daughter of Wallace Gurwell, who was born in 
Springfeld Township in 1860, and granddaughter of John B. Gur- 
well, a pioneer farmer of Williams County, who came to this part of 
the state from Crawford County, Ohio, when much of the country 
round about was in its original wilderness. Mr. Brognard is an ardent 
supporter of the principles of the republican party. Fraternally he 
belongs to Evansport Lodge No. 489, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows; to the Evansport Encampment, and both he and Mrs. Brognard 
are members of Magdalena Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah, and of the 
Elm Grove Grange. 


a 
3 


Cuartes E. SHAUuLt, of Superior Township, four and one-half 
miles southwest of Montpelier, was born there July 25, 1866, and has 
always lived in the community. He is a son of George and Rachel 
(Colbert) Shaull, the father having been born there in 1846, and died 
March 2, 1919, at the old family homestead. The mother came into 
the community as a young woman. While six children were born to 
them only Lewis Shaull, of Montpelier, and Charles E. Shaull are 
living today. Mr. Shaull, who relates the family history, was educated 
in the district school of Superior Township, and worked at the home of 
his parents until he was twenty-one years old, when he began doing 
for himself. 

As a young man C. E. Shaull learned the stone mason’s trade and 
worked at it continuously for seven years. Although he is a farmer 
today he has frequent calls from people in the community and he still 
does something as a stone mason. Mr. Shaull married for his first 
wife Adaline Tarr, and there is one daughter, Hazel, by that mar- 
riage, who is the wife of Loren Brim, of Superior Township. For 
his second wife Mr. Shaull married Flora Corbett, and by that mar- 
riage the children are Marie and Robert. Mr. Shaull is a member of 
Florence Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and Mrs. Shaull belongs to the 
Pythian Sisters. Mr. Shaull owns 120 acres of land and he earned all 
he has by his own effort, except twenty acres from his father’s estate. 
As a stone mason, he has often had work when other farmers were 
not engaged in active farming, and the trade combines well with 
agriculture. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 189 


Davip W. Isenuart, of Superior Township, seven miles southwest 
of Montpelier, is one of the most highly respected citizens of Wil- 
liams County. When he was six years old he came into the com- 
munity and he has always lived there. Mr. Isenhart was born Septem- 
ber 27, 1846, southwest of Tiffin in Seneca County. He is a son of 
Nathaniel B. and Mary A. (Housman) Isenhart, the father born June 
27, 1817, and the mother January 21, 1821, in Seneca County. They 
came to Williams County in 1852, and settled on the St. Joe River 
five miles southwest of Montpelier. ‘ 

In 1862 N. B. Isenhart enlisted in Company H, the Sixty-Eighth 
Ohio Regiment, and he never came home again. He died of typhoid 
fever contracted while in the service and lies buried at Cave Hill, 
Kentucky. There were eight children in his family. Jacob B. Isen- 
hart was killed at the battle of Jonesboro, and Eli, who served three 
years in the Civil war, died in Columbus where he was serving as a 
guard at the Ohio State Penitentiary. The father and two of his sons 
were soldiers in the Union army. David W. Isenhart, who enrolls 
the family, was the third son, and he was a child when they located in 
Williams County. S. B. Isenhart, who graduated from the law depart- 
ment of the University of Michigan, is a prominent attorney in 
Topeka, Kansas. Rebecca E. is the wife of Marion Wolfe, of Superior 
Township. Rufus M. is a retired farmer living in Edon. Florence E. 
is the widow of Alvin Douglas, of Chicago. Theodosia, the widow 
of William Davis, lives in Indiana. 

David W. Isenhart grew up at the family homestead on the St. Joe 
River, and when he began doing for himself he worked at the car- 
penter trade and looked after the farmstead for his mother. On March 
9, 1875, he married Anna C. Strawser, a daughter of David and 
Rachel Strawser, early settlers in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Strawser 
lived on the farm until his death in 1884, and she died in 1898, both 
having attained to advanced age. 

Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Isenhart have two sons and a daughter. David 
A. Isenhart, born January 8, 1876, lives on a farm in Superior Town- 
ship; Mary D., born November 26, 1877, is the wife of Fred Rothen- 
barger, of Napoleon; and Sylvester, born October 14, 1880, is a 
contractor and lives in Detroit. Mr. and Mrs. Isenhart are Free 
Thought advocates and do not affiliate with churches in the com- 
munity. He is a charter member of Edon Lodge, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons, having first been a Mason at Edgerton. He is a 
member of Florence Lodge, Knights of Pythias and past chancellor 
and member of the grand lodge. 


190 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Mr. Isenhart is active in democratic party councils, and he ranks 
among the good farmers of. Williams County. He owns 170 acres in 
Superior Township and he is active among farmers in their organiza- 
tions. He is past master of Sodom Grange and has been an organizer 
of granges. 


JosepH Deister, of Superior Township, about six miles southwest 
of Montpelier, was born January 18, 1859, in Crawford County, Ohio. 
Since 1883, with the exception of two years, he has been a citizen of 
Williams County. His father, George Deisler, was born February 15, 
1825, in the Province of Bavaria, Germany. In 1832 he came with his 
parents to the United States when he was a boy of seven years. They 
located in Wayne County, Ohio, but one year later they removed to 
Seneca County. George Deisler grew up and married Catharine Shade 
in Seneca County. They settled on a farm in Crawford County. They 
were there five years when they returned to Seneca County. They 
were active members of the German Reformed Church and they died 
and lie buried in Seneca County. 

The Deisler family have been democrats. George Deisler was’ a 
carpenter and cabinet maker as well as a farmer in his time. Eleven 
children were born: B. F. Deisler lives at Defiance; Lucinda is the 
wife of Gottleib Hasch, of Paulding County; Joseph relates the 
family story; George W. lives in Tiffin; Sarah is the widow of D. F. 
Smith, of Seneca County ; James S. lives in Attica, Ohio; Harvey is a 
farmer in Paulding County; Simon is a farmer in Paulding County ; 
Reuben lives in Plymouth; John H. lives in Detroit; and Katy O. is 
the wife of J. M. Sponseller, of Geneva. 

Joseph Deisler was three months old when his parents moved 
from Crawford to Seneca County. He remained with his parents 
until he was twenty-one years old, working sometimes by the day or 
month for others. In 1883 he came to Williams County, and Febru- 
ary 11, 1886, he married Agnes C. Kent, who was born in the vicinity 
of Montpelier. She was born March 15, 1864. She went to school in 
Montpelier. They lived a year in Williams County and then removed 
to Paulding County in 1887, remaining there until 1912 when they 
returned to Williams County. They bought forty acres and added to 
it until they had doubled it and then they sold it and bought 160 acres 
where they lived twenty-five years, and then sold out and returned 
to Williams County. They now own a quarter section of land in 
Superior Township. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 191 


The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Deisler are: Carmie A., wife 
of C. W. Carrick; Cady, wife of R. E. Scott, of Ladysmith, Wiscon- 
sin; Mame A., wife of W. S. Barnhart, of Shoals, Indiana; Myrtle, 
at home; A. A. Deisler, of Superior Township; Harley J. Deisler spent 
six months in military training for overseas service; C. C. Deisler, 
Elma O. and Altha are at home with the parents. Mr. Deisler is a 
democrat. He has good grade live stock and is a member of the 
Montpelier Farmers’ Co-operative Association. They are church 
members and members of the Grange. 


Emory O. Jounson.—Because they are brothers Emory O. John- 
son, of Montpelier, has the same lineal descent as Charles W. Johnson, 
their parents being Simeon and Dianna (Steltz) Johnson. Mr. John- 
son was born April 12, 1864, in Florence Township where the parents 
had located when they came to Williams County. The father was born 
in 1835, and the mother in 1839, in Columbiana County, Ohio. They 
were married there and in 1865 they came to Williams County. They 
spent the rest of their lives on the farm in Florence Township, their 
two sons being born and educated there. E. O. Johnson began life as 
a farmer there. 

On February 26, 1890, Mr. Johnson married Maggie Maier, who 
was born February 16, 1868, in Center Township. She is a daughter 
of Jacob and Elizabeth (Webber) Maier, the father born January 5, 
1833, in Germany, and the mother, a native of Tuscarawas County. 
Mr. Maier came to the United States when he was seventeen years old, 
finally locating in Williams County. He married in Williams County 


_and settled on a farm in Center Township where he reared his family. 


He now lives in Bryan. Mr. Maier was a soldier in Company K, 
Thirty-Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served to the close of the 
war. While he came from a country where militarism prevailed, he 
did not shrink from taking up arms in defense of his adopted country. 
Mr. Maier is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic post in 
Bryan today. He is a Granger, and a member of the Methodist 
Church there. 

When E. O. Johnson married he located on a farm in Florence 
Township, and his only son and child, Clarence S. Johnson, lives there 
today. C. S. Johnson was born October 12, 1892, and he married 
Beulah Kess. He is a member of Superior Lodge No. 269, Knights 
of Pythias, and Mrs. Johnson belongs to the Pythian Sisters. The 
Johnson family vote is cast with the democratic party. The farmland 


192 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


where C. S. Johnson lives lies in Florence and Superior Townships, 
Williams County. 


Gorrtop C. Maueruan, Jr—As long as business affairs seem to 
run in accustomed channels, the people of a community apparently give 
little attention to thoughts of what might happen if their dependable 
purveyors of food supplies should suddenly be entirely prevented from 
performing their ordinary labors. It is more than likely, under such 
circumstances, that the first business men to be missed would be han- 
dlers of meat, and certainly this would be the case at Edon, Ohio, 
where the majority of the people have come to look on the Mauerhan 
meat market as a fixed, standard business house that cannot be dis- 
pensed with. For almost a half century the Mauerhans have been in 
the meat business here, and through faithful service and honest and 
straightforward methods have built up this enviable reputation. 

Gottlob C. Mauerhan, Jr., who is at the head of the firm of G. C. - 
Mauerhan, Jr., & Son, was born in St. Joseph Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, February 20, 1868. His parents were Gottlob and 
Louise (Kewth) Mauerhan, the former of whom was born in Ger- 
many March 21, 1845, and the latter in 1843. Both came when young 
to the United States and were married in St. Joseph Township, Wil- 
liams County, and came to Edon in 1873 and she died here in Novem- . 
ber, 1893. Gottlob Mauerhan, Sr., established the meat business after 
he came to Edon and continued until 1896, during a part of this time 
having his son, Gottlob, Jr., as a. partner. When the founder of the 
business retired the latter succeeded to it, enlarged its scope and made 
modern improvements, and in the course of time admittéd his son, 
Edwin A. Mauerhan, to partnership, at that time adopting the present ; 
firm namie. Mr. Mauerhan is one of the best experienced men in the 
meat business at Edon and carries the largest and best selected stock. 
He has always been a hardworking, frugal man, and has pushed ahead 
because of this and is now one of the substantial business men of the 
city. He owns fifty acres of excellent land situated a half mile north 
of Edon, and has some valuable city property. 

On April 21, 1895, Mr. Mauerhan was married to Miss Louise 
Kaltenbach, who was born at Edon, Ohio, January 27, 1870, and they 
have two sons, namely: Arthur C. and Edwin A. Arthur C. Mauer- 
han is a graduate of the Edon High School and of a business college 
at Detroit, and is cashier of the Edon State Bank. During the great 
war he was in training as a soldier at Camp Sherman, Ohio, and Camp 
Gordon, Georgia, being mustered out in December, 1918. He married 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 193 


Louise Starr. Edwin A. Mauerhan was born July 7, 1897, and during 
the great war, as an enlisted man, served three months at Camp 
Gordon, Georgia, and was mustered out there in December, 1918. 
Before becoming his father’s partner in business he was graduated 
from the Edon High School and took a business course at Oberlin 
College. 

Mr. Mauerhan has always been democratic in politics but has 
never accepted any public office except in relation to the public schools. 
He was serving on the school board when the new and imposing school 
building was erected and took a deep interest in its construction. He 
is a stockholder and a director of the Edon State Bank, a thriving 
financial institution of the county, the officers being as follows: 
Charles A. Bowersox, president ; Zeph Lees, vice president; Arthur C. 
Mauerhan, cashier. The following make up the board of directors: 
Charles A. Bowersox, Dr. E. F. Brandon, Charles Allomong, Gottlob 
C. Mauerhan, Jr., Charles Estrich and N. J. Hauser. He is a member 
of the German Lutheran Church and is known to be a generous and 
charitable man. 


ALBERT Hatuaway, M. D.—Prominent in the medical profession 
and highly esteemed personally and as a citizen, Dr. Albert Hathaway 
has been a valued resident of Edon, Ohio, for nineteen busy years. 
He is one of the older medical practitioners here and one whose 
cheerful presence has brought comfort and relief into many homes. 
He has devoted himself closely to his profession and has given to the 
people of Edon the richest years of his life. 

Doctor Hathaway was born in Morrow County, Ohio, December 
19, 1849. His parents were Richard and Lorinda (Bates) Hathaway, 
both natives of Ohio, the mother born in Knox County, and they were 
married in Morrow County in 1837. The father was a carpenter and 
contractor. He was a grandson of Richard Hathaway who served 
with General Washington in the Revolutionary war and was present 
at the surrender of the army of General Cornwallis. After the war 
the Revolutionary veteran settled with many of his comrades in 
Washington County, Pennsylvania. 

In September, 1853, Richard Hathaway, father of Doctor Hatha- 
way, came to Williams County and settled on a farm in Northwest 
Township, which he developed from its wild state and continued to 
live on that farm until 1863, when he bought a farm near by upon 
which he lived until his death on August 8, 1886. His widow survived 


until in January, 1901. They were among the founders of the Metho- 
Vol. II—13 


194 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


dist Episcopal Church in their neighborhood. Of their children, 
Albert was the fourth in order of birth, the others being as follows: 
Jane, who is the widow of P. B. Wycoff; Sarah, who is the widow of 
Berton ‘Donovan; Horace, who is a retired farmer of Fremont, Indi- 
ana; Calvin, who was an army surgeon during the Civil war, died at 
Edgerton, Ohio; Charles, who was killed during the uprising in 
Mexico; Caroline, who died unmarried; and Judson, who died when 
twenty-one years old. 

Albert Hathaway enjoyed better educational advantages in boyhood 
than many country youths at that time and made the best of his oppor- 
tunities as he was very ambitious and had determined on a medical 
career at an early date. He attended the Columbia High School in 
Northwest Township, in the meanwhile devoting as much time as 
possible to reading medicine, in this way completing two medical 
courses prior to entering Rush Medical College, Chicago, from which 
institution he was graduated on February 22, 1881, with his degree. 
He then entered into partnership with his brother, Dr. Calvin Hath- 
away, at Edgerton, Ohio, and in 1884 moved to Columbia, Ohio, and 
from there came to Edon in 1901. Here Doctor Hathaway built up a 
large and lucrative practice. Unlike a number of his professional 
brethren, he has pursued no divided interests but has devoted himself 
entirely to medical science. In this line has has always been a student 
and with professional delight has welcomed the many wonderful 
advances made in his beloved science within the last decade. He is a 
member of the Williams County, the Ohio State and the American 
Medical societies. 

On December 18, 1887, Doctor Hathaway was united in marriage 
to Miss Eleanor Richards, who was born in Florence, Township, Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, February 19, 1857, and they have two children, 
namely: Paul R., who is a graduate of the Chicago University, with 
the degree of Ph. B., and is now associated with the well-known firm 
of Kelly Brothers at Bryan, Ohio; and Helen L., a graduate of the 
Edon High School, who is the wife of William H. Knepper, of 
Bryan, Ohio. Mrs. Hathaway, son and daughter, are all members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Doctor Hathaway belongs to Edon 
Lodge No. 474, Free and Accepted Masons; Coony Lodge, Odd 
Fellows, and Edon Lodge No. 644, Knights of Pythias, of which 
he is past chancellor. Sound old democratic doctrine was taught him 
early by a Jeffersonian father and he has never seen reason to change 
his political faith. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 195 


ErswortH F. Branpon, M. D.—When the grandparents of Dr. 
Elsworth F. Brandon, a prominent physician and surgeon of Edon, 
Ohio, came to Williams County more than sixty years ago, they found 
themselves pioneers with the necessity of making a home in the-dense 
forest. Their humble log cabin was one of the first to rise in North- 
west Township and proved a happy home and a hospitable and cheery 
place to many a weary traveler no doubt, for they were warm-hearted 
Irish people with the virtues of their race. The Brandons have grown 
and prospered here and an every-way worthy member of this family 
is Doctor Brandon, of Edon. 

Elsworth F. Brandon was born in Williams County, Ohio, Decem- 

ber 20, 1874, and is a son of Hugh and Adelaide (Culbertson) Bran- 
don. Hugh Brandon was born June 12, 1846, in Ireland, a son of 
Francis and Ann (Cunningham) Brandon. He accompanied: his 
parents to America about 1850, and after a short time spent in Car- 
roll County, Ohio, they all came to Williams County and this section 
of the state has been the family home ever since. Hugh Brandon 
was a farmer in Northwest Township and for a number of years was 
influential in republican politics, serving for a long period as a justice 
of the peace. He married Adelaide Culbertson, who was born in 1856, 
in Wisconsin, and died in February, 1906. The following children were 
born to them: Etta, who is the wife of Dr. E. A. Bechtol; Elsworth 
F.; Bridget, who lives at Morenci, Michigan; Van H., who is in 
business in Seattle, Washington; Arthur W., who lives at Quincy, 
Michigan; Charles, who fesides at Zenith, Kansas; Ollie, who is the 
wife of George Long, of Florence Township, Williams County; and 
Scott, who is a farmer in Northwest Township, Williams County. The 
parents were members of the United Brethren Church. 
_ Elsworth F. Brandon grew up on the home farm, attended first the 
country school in the neighborhood and later the grade and the high 
school at Montpelier, following which he taught school two years in 
Northwest Township, then entered Detroit Medical College, from 
which he was graduated in 1900 with the degree of M. D. Before 
the year was out he had become well established at Edon, where he 
has met with much professional success and now has additional impor- 
tant interests. He owns a beautiful farm of 160 acres situated one 
and a half miles east of Edon, the management of which is a source of 
relaxation and additionally is profitable. He is well known also in 
banking circles and is vice president of the Edon State Bank. 

On September 20, 1900, Doctor Brandon was united in marriage 
to Miss Augusta Waterston, who is a daughter of William Waterston, 


196 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


and they have two daughters: Wilma I., who was born March 29, 1912; 
and Esther F., who was born November 3, 1913. Doctor Brandon and . 
his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Doctor Brandon is a member of Edon Lodge No. 474, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons; Montpelier Chapter No. 184, Royal Arch 
Masons, and Montpelier Council, Royal and Select Masters, while 
both he and Mrs. Brandon belong to the Eastern Star, in which she 
is a past worthy matron and he is a past master. While his profes- 
sional duties have more or less debarred him from great activity in 
the political field, as a zealous republican he has squght opportunities 
to be useful, and at present is vice president of the school board. Dur- 
ing the great war he was a member of the medical army corps at 
Camp Custer, Michigan, from October 3, 1918, until March 14, 1919, 
during the entire progress of the war having demonstrated patriotic - 
interest. As a physician he is known to be faithful in performance 
of his professional obligations, and he belongs to a number of repre- 
sentative medical bodies. 


Tuomas Branpon.—Not only has Thomas Brandon developed a 
fine farming property in Bridgewater Township, but he has reared a 
nice family of children and given all of them a start in life. He has 
so lived as to set an example to them and to render a service to his 
community and is rightly regarded as one of the leading men of 
Williams County. 

The birth of Thomas Brandon took place in Ireland on March 21, 
1848, and he is a son of Francis and Ann Brandon, of Scotch-Irish 
descent, but born in Ireland, from whence they came to the United | 
States in 1848 and 1850, he making the trip alone and then as soon 
as well settled in Columbiana County, Ohio, sending for his family to 
join him. For a time Francis Brandon worked on the railroad and 
then as soon as he had saved enough money to buy 100 acres of land 
at $3 per acre, he secured a farm. Unfortunately, however, he had 
worked too hard, and so lost his health, and his wife and his children 
had to care for the land. After his death Alexander Brandon bought 
the homestead from the other heirs. There were seven children in the 
family, four of whom are now living, namely: Thomas, who was the 
eldest; George, who lives at Hillsdale, Michigan; Mary A., who is the 
wife of Robert Hoy; and Alexander, who lives at Montpelier, Ohio. 

Only three years old when brought to the United States Thomas 
Brandon has spent practically all of his life in this country. He was 
reared on the farm his father bought and attended the district schools, 


| 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 197 


and later the Bryan High School, and then, having secured a license 
taught school for five seasons, and saved $350. With it and $150 he 
borrowed, he bought his eighty-acre farm, to which he added more 
land until he now has 220 acres, and he has bought other land, giving 
each of his sons eighty acres. All but twenty-five acres of his farm 
is cleared, and is finely improved. 

In 1872 Mr. Brandon was married to Eunice M. Parker, born on 
January 10, 1848, in Ashtabula County, Ohio, but who came to Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, when she was twenty-one years old. Mr. and 
Mrs. Brandon became the parents of the following children: E. C., 
who lives at Montpelier, Ohio; L. G., who lives on section 1, Bridge- 
water Township; and Sylvia, who is the wife of Paul Hugg, and F. E. 
Brandon, a farmer of Bridgewater Township. In politics Mr. Bran- 
don is a democrat, but he has never participated in public affairs save 
as’a voter of his party ticket. An industrious and thrifty man he 
has worked very hard all of his life and deserves the rewards which 
have come to him not only in material things, but the respect and 
confidence of his associates, which mean a good deal to the right kind 
of a man. 


Cuartes E. Boyer.—In no part of Williams County will be found 
more intelligent or enterprising people than in Bridgewater Township 
where for years a deep interest has been maintained in agricultural 
progress. This interest covers not only the developing of the usual 
farm industries but goes farther, having in view the amelioration of 
many undesirable features of farm life and the introduction of social 
conditions and privileges that will serve to make life on a farm not 
only the healthiest but the happiest and most independent in the world. 
In carrying on such important work assistance must be given by com- 
petent, earnest, farseeing men, and one such who has long been 
identified here with the Grange and other movements is Charles E. 
Boyer, who is a substantial farmer of Bridgewater Township. 

Charles E. Boyer was born at Tiffin, Ohio, February 15, 1858, and 
is a son of Josiah and Lydia M. (Rainey) Boyer, the former of whom 
was born in Seneca County, Ohio, December 25, 1831, and the latter 
in Brownwell Township, Lorain County November 30, 1834. Josiah 
Boyer was left motherless in childhood. When thirteen years old he 
was bound out to John Schlusser, who treated him well, sending him 
to school at Tiffin and later to Heidelberg College, and also taught him 
his own trade, that of a plasterer. He worked at the trade and also 
taught school and in the course of time was able to buy five acres of 


198 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


land in Williams County. It was situated in the deep woods in North- 
west Township. Then the Civil war came on and he enlisted in an 
Ohio regiment, Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-Second Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, and served bravely through two years and ten 
months of that great struggle. When he returned to Williams County 
he completed clearing his land, on which he previously erected a cabin, 
worked at his trade for some years, and gradually acquired additional 
land and followed farming during the rest of his life. He lived a busy, 
useful and honorable life and performed every known duty to the 
best of his ability. He united early with the republican party and for 
many years was active in its ranks in Bridgewater Township, fre- 
quently serving in such public capacities as school director and town- 
ship trustee. 

In Seneca County, on March 15, 1855, Josiah Boyer was married 
to Lydia M. Rainey, who, like himself, was a member of the United 
Brethren Church. They had the following children: Emma J., who is 
the wife of William Holloway ; Charles E.: Josiah N., who is a farmer 
near Quincy, Michigan; William E., who followed the trade of a 
barber at Toledo; and John G., who is a farmer in Bridgewater 
Township. 

Charles E. Boyer attended the district schools in boyhood and 
assisted his father until he was twenty-one years old. He has always 

been a resident of Williams County since coming here with his parents 
and farming has been his chosen vocation. He resides on his valuable 
farm of forty acres which is situated two and a quarter miles west of 
Bridgewater Center, where twenty-five years ago he began bee culture 
and at the Columbia Exposition he received a medal and diploma for 
fine quality; he also grows grain, fruit and stock. For many years 
Mr. Boyer has been interested in farm organizations founded on 
worthy principles. He has been active in the Ancient Order of Glean- 
ers and also in the Patrons of Husbandry, and was a charter member 
and the first master of Bridgewater Grange. 

On December 21, 1882, Mr. Boyer was united in marriage to Miss 
Ida M. Waterston, a daughter of Thomas Waterston, and they have 
two children, Earl F. and Edwin W. Earl F. Boyer is a farmer in 
Bridgewater Township and has has three sons: Harold, Robert and 
Lyle. Edwin W. Boyer married Helen Ayers and they live on a farm» 
in Bridgewater Township and have one son, Ronald. The entire 

family belongs to the United Brethren Church, in which Mr. Boyer is 
“very active as he also is in local politics, from early voting days having 
been identified with the republican party. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 199 


Lewis E. Hatnes.—The Haines family is one which has long been 
connected in its different branches with the agricultural life of Bridge- 
water Township, and its various members are sustaining the prestige 
of the name in the several communities in which they have seen fit to 
locate, One of them is Lewis E. Haines who is on the Haines’ home- 
stead in this township. 

The birth of Lewis E. Haines took place on the farm he now 
occupies, December 8, 1887, and he is a son of J. M. and Mary A. 
(Waterson) Haines, natives of Stark and Richland counties, Ohio. 
The grandparents on both sides of the house came to Williams County 
in the early ’50s and located in Bridgewater Township, and here J. M. 
Haines and Mary A. Waterson were reared, and here they were mar- 
ried. They located on a farm in Bridgewater Township, and there 
their eight children were born, namely: Alexander C., who is engaged 
in farming three miles west of Montpelier; Walter L., who is engaged 
in farming in Bridgewater Township, a sketch of whom appears else- 
where in this work; Hattie, who is the wife of J. E. Briner; Emerson 
E., who is a farmer of Northwest Township, Williams County; and 
three, who died in infancy. ‘ 

Lewis E. Haines was reared on his present farm and was sent to 
the schools of the neighborhood. It was his father’s desire to have his 
sons adopt farming as their life work, and he encouraged and helped 
them all that he could, and stimulated in this way, Lewis E. Haines 
acquired a thorough and practical knowledge of agriculture which has 
been of great use to him. At present he owns his farm of 100 acres 
of land, and is engaged in handling a high grade of stock, his product 
having already gained more than local prestige on account of its 
excellence. 

On August 2, 1911, Mr. Haines was united in marriage with Ida 
J. Bauer, who was born in Superior Township, Williams County, on 
December 23, 1890, a daughter of Gabriel and Laura (Bauer) Bauer, 
the former of whom is still a resident of Superior Township, but the 
latter is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Bauer had two children, Mrs. Haines 
and Henry F., who is living with his father. The children of Mr. and 
Mrs. Haines are as follows: Merrill W., who was born on September 
25, 1912; Gladys, who was born August 7, 1914; Walter L., who was 
born October 16, 1916; and Lauretta, who was born October 3, 1918. 
Mrs. Haines belongs to the Lutheran Church, and she and Mr. Haines 
are members of the American Gleaners. In politics he is a republican, 
but his inclinations have never led him into public notice for he has 
been too much occupied with his private affairs. Both he and his wife 


200 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


are popular in the social life of their neighborhood, and both have 
many friends here and in other parts of the county where their lives 
have been spent. They are in favor of local improvements for all 
of their interests are centered here, and may be depended upon to give 
them a support if they are convinced that they are practical and will 
not impose undue hardships upon the people to carry them through. 


JoserH A. Weirz, M. D—The physician who would succeed in his 
profession must possess many qualities of head and heart not included 
in the curriculum of the schools and colleges he may have attended. 
The career of the successful practitioner shows that a broad minded 
Sympathy with the sick and suffering and an honest, earnest desire to 
aid in affliction have gone hand in hand with skill and able judgment. 
The gentleman to whom this brief tribute is given embodies these 
necessary qualifications to a marked degree and by energy and appli- 
cation to his professional duties through many years of practice built 
up an enviable reputation and drew to himself a large and remunera- 
tive patronage. 

Doctor Weitz, for many years engaged in his professional labors 
at Montpelier, but widely known outside of his home locality for his 
scientific achievements and official honors conierred upon him by 
medical organizations, is a native of Williams County, having been 
born on his father’s farm in St. Joseph Township on November 30, 
1849, and is the son of Adam and Elizabeth (Yeager) Weitz. Adam 
Weitz was born in Wattenheim, Germany, in 1810, and was there 
reared and educated. In 1837 he came to the United States, locating 
first in Portage County, Ohio, where his marriage occurred. In 1846 
he came to Williams County, locating in St. Joseph Township, where 
he lived until late in life when he moved to the Village of Edgerton, 
this county, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their days. 
He was an enterprising citizen, being deeply interested in the develop- 
ment of St. Joseph Township, of which he was one of the early set- 
tlers. In his native land he had learned the trade of a weaver, but 
after coming to the United States he applied himself to the trade of a 
stone cutter, in which he became an expert workman. He laid the 
stone for the old courthouse in Williams County and also constructed 
the locks on the canal. He was born a Catholic, but became an active 
and earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He also 
altered his political faith, having first supported the democratic party, 
but later identifying himself with the republican party. He was active 


HiSTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 201 


in public affairs and served as trustee of St. Joseph Township. To him 
and his wife were born eleven children, of which number two lost 
their lives by accident, the others being as follows: Frances, of West 
Unity, the widow of Charles F. Grisier; Harriet, the widow of John 
Casebere, of Edgerton, Ohio; Lucina, the widow of T. J. Stoops; 
Lavina, the wife of I. M. White, of Montpelier; Daniel W., of Butler, 
DeKalb County, Indiana; Charles W. and Thomas T., of Oklahoma; 
George H., of Fresno, California, and Joseph A. ; 

Joseph A. Weitz spent his boyhood days on his father’s farm in 
St. Joseph Township, and received his elemental education in the dis- 
trict schools and the high school at Butler. He then entered Hillsdale 
College, at Hillsdale, Michigan, where he was graduated with the 
degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1876, and given the degree of A. M. in 
1879. He then engaged in teaching school, following that profession 
for eight years, during which time he was superintendent of schools 
at Edgerton and Sylvania, Ohio. Having determined to devote his 
life to the medical profession he matriculated in the medical depart- 
ment of the University of Michigan where he was graduated in 1886 
with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He first located for the prac- 
tice of his profession in Montpelier, remaining here until October, 
1897, when he accepted the chair of neurology in the Michigan College 
of Medicine and Surgery at Detroit, having served as professor of 
pathology from 1894 to 1897. In 1899 Doctor Weitz returned to 
- Montpelier and re-engaged in the active practice of his profession, 
which he has continued to the present time. In 1913 Doctor Weitz 
went to Europe and took a post-graduate course in the medical depart- 
ment of Berlin University. He has been successful in practice to a 
remarkable degree and is held in the highest esteem not only by the 
public but also by his professional colleagues. Doctor Weitz in 1887-88 
ran a drug store at Montpelier and is a registered pharmacist. For a 
number of years he was local surgeon for the Wabash Railroad 
Company. 

In 1880 Doctor Weitz married Helen Fay, who is a graduate of 
Hillsdale College, and who, prior to her marriage was a successful 
teacher, having taught in Michigan and in Plattsburg, New York. To 
Dr. and Mrs. Weitz has been born a daughter, Florence, who after 
graduating from the Montpelier High School was a student in Oberlin 
College, where she was graduated in 1907, with the degree of Bachelor 
of Arts. She was a teacher of German in the Montpelier High School 
for two years, and subsequently took a post-graduate course in the 


202 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


University of Berlin, Germany. She became the wife of Charles A. 
Changnon, and they have three children, Richard E., Helen Fay and 
Robert A. 

Politically Doctor Weitz has been a lifelong supporter of the repub- 
lican party. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic Order and 
Knights of Pythias, and is an active member and one of the trustees 
of the Presbyterian Church of his home town. It is safe to say that 
no man in Williams County enjoys to a greater extent the affection 
and confidence of the people than does Doctor Weitz, and this feeling 
has been demonstrated for him on more than one occasion. His career 
has been that of a broad-minded, conscientious worker in the sphere 
to which his life and energies have been devoted. 

Doctor Weitz is a former president and for several years past has 
been treasurer of the Northern Tri-State Medical Association. He is 
a member of the Williams County Medical Society, Ohio State Medi- 
cal Association and is a Fellow of the American Medical Association, 
and also of the American Academy of Medicine. He is a member of 
the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the 
American Association for Clinical Research, and with all his other 
duties is now carrying the responsibilities of Health Commissioner of 
Williams County. He is the author of scientific articles that have 
attracted national attention and are published in various medical jour- 
nals and in the Reference Hand Book of Medical Selena. Asta: 
writer he is known for his accuracy and conciseness. 


WitiiAM T..Orton.—A man of forceful and distinctive individ- 
uality, William T. Orton occupies a position of note among the 
esteemed and valued citizens of West Unity, where he served as post- 
master for upwards of fourteen years, his long continuance in the posi- 
tion bearing proof of his ability, fidelity and popularity as a public 
official. He was born December 12, 1862, in Richland County, Ohio, 
near Shelby, which was likewise the birthplace of his father, the late 
F.Cu Orton 

Born in 1834, E. C. Orton acquired an excellent education in his 
native county, and having fitted himself for a professional career 
taught school forty-four terms, teaching several years after his mar- 
riage. Coming with his family to Williams County in October, 1865, 
he bought a farm lying one mile north, and a half mile east, of West 
Unity, but did not immediately assume its possession, as he accepted 
a position as a teacher in West Unity, where he taught school the 
following six years. Locating on his farm in 1871, he continued as a 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 203 


farmer until his death, in 1911. Talented and cultured, he was active 
in the republican ranks, and served as an attorney, and as a justice of 
the peace for many years. He married Anna Y. Orr, who was born in 
1840 in Rob Roy, Fountain County, Indiana, and prior to her marriage 
taught school in Hamilton County, Ohio, where he met her. She died 
on the home farm, near West Unity, in 1886, leaving four children, as 
follows: Minnie, who was graduated from the West Unity High 
School, and subsequently taught school a few terms, is the wife of 
J. B. Johnson, of Lawrence, Kansas; William T., with whom this 
sketch is particularly concerned; Leonard E., and Adaline, wife of 
A. J. Young, of Winfield, Kansas. Both parents were esteemed mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Reared in West Unity, his home having been on North Liberty 
street, on the lot where his present residence is located, William T. 
Orton was educated in the public schools, and since attaining his 
majority has been an important factor in promoting the highest and 
best interests of the community. He served, as stated above, as post- 
master for fourteen years and four months, a position of trust and 
responsibility, and performed the duties connected with the office 
promptly and efficiently. Since leaving the post office, in 1913, 
Mr. Orton has built up an excellent business as special agent of the 
Equitable Life Insurance Company of New York. He has acquired 
considerable property through wise management and investment, and 
owns a part of the old Orton homestead. 

Mr. Orton married, December 12, 1882, Alice A. Boston, who was 
born in Fulton County, Ohio, and educated in the West Unity High 
School. Their only child, Edith, wife of R. L. Lorton, of Akron, 
Ohio, is a graduate of the West Unity High School, and of Oberlin 
University. Her husband was also graduated from both of, those 
institutions of learning, while during the World war Mr. Lorton served 
as a corporal, being stationed at Camp Sherman. 

Politically Mr. Orton is prominent in the republican party, and 
genuinely interested in public matters. Fraternally he is a member of 
Superior Lodge No. 179, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 


. of which he is past master, having served in that capacity eight years; 


of Northwest Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons; of Montpelier 
Council No. 102, Royal and Select Masters; of Defiance Commandery 
No. 30, Knights Templar. He is a Scottish Rite Mason, and for five 
years was district lecturer for the Fifth Masonic District. Religiously 
both Mr. and Mrs. Orton belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and are among its active and valued workers. 


204 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Joun W. Bowersox.—Although he has lived many years in Wil- 
liams County, John W. Bowersox of Florence Township was born 
August 25, 1836, in Stark County. His father, John W. Bowersox, 
was born January 10, 1808, and his mother, Mary (Breckinridge) 
Bowersox, was born December 4, 1809, in Frederick County, Mary- 
land. However, they were married in August, 1831, in Adams County, 
Pennsylvania, and they immediately came to North Industry, Stark 
County, Ohio, where he worked as a shoemaker for seven years. 

In 1838, Mr. Bowersox and his wife and two children and two 
other children who came with them located in Williams County. He 
entered eighty acres of land and they settled in St. Joseph Town- 
ship, and October 28, 1838, they moved into their own cabin on the _ 
land they had entered and he died there April 14, 1889, although she 
had died March 31, 1867, at this pioneer family homestead. While 
he was reared a Lutheran she was a Methodist, although they later 
belonged to the United Brethren Church in the community. 

John W. Bowersox, Sr., was first a whig, then a free soiler and 
finally a republican, and he was always active in politics. The chil- 
dren born to him were: James G., who died when he was a man forty- 
six years old. He was a United Brethren minister. John W. Bower- 
sox, Jr., who enrolls the family in this history. Mary E., deceased, 
was the wife of Daniel Weitz. Nancy E., deceased, never married. 
Elizabeth L. died at sixteen and Francis A., the youngest, at thir- 
teen. The next to the oldest son was the Hon. Charles A. Bowersox 
of Bryan, judge of the common pleas court of Williams County. 
Judge Bowersox is supervising editor of the recent Williams County 
History. 

John W. Bowersox was only two years old when his father and 
mother came to Williams County. On September 26, 1864, he enlisted 
in Company F, the Sixty-Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and 
remained at the front until the close of the war. On June 9, 1860, 
he married Amelia Yeager. Her parents came to Williams County in 
1846 and settled in St. Joseph Township. Mrs. Bowersox was born 
September 27, 1837, in Portage County. As children together she and 
her husband attended the same school, the same Sunday school and — 
church and they settled January 4, 1861, on the farmstead where he 
now lives, although she died there April 8, 1906, both having been 
active in affairs of the community. 

J. W. Bowersox is a member of Evans Post Grand Army of the 
Republic, and was commander of Edon Post. He is a republican and 
cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He was the cen- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 205 


sus enumerator that year. Mr. Bowersox was president or member of 
the Board of Education in Williams County for twenty-seven years. 
His children are: J. E. Bowersox, Mrs. Mary E. Kline. 

John E. Bowersox was born March 19, 1861, and married Sarah E. 
Kurtz, April 5, 1892. She was born May 9, 1873, and has always 
lived in Williams County. Their son, Harvey W. Bowersox, is a 
graduate of the Edon High School and attended Tri-State College at 
Angola, Indiana. He is a mail clerk on the railroad, but is tem- 
porarily a school teacher. The Bowersox family are members of the 
United Brethren Church and Mr. Bowersox is republican in his poli- 
tical views, and will die a republican. John E. has served as a school 
director for twenty-seven years. He is ditch commissioner in Florence 
Township, and for many years he has served as a member of the 
Williams County republican central committee. 


Ex1 Dory of Florence Township was born there August 20, 1851, 
and he has always lived there. He is a son of Lucius W. and 
Mary (Bash) Doty. The parents were born, raised and married 
in Crawford County. They settled in Williams County and died on 
the farm where Eli Doty lives today. Mr. Doty has two brothers: 
David and George Doty. They all live in Florence Township. 

On August 22, 1877, Eli Doty married Ida Hammond. She was 
born August 20, 1857, being just six years younger than Mr. Doty 
and they were married two days after her twentieth birthday. She 
was born in Stark County, Ohio. The family removed to DeKalb 
County, Indiana, and then returned to Williams County, Ohio. Four 
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Doty. Those living are: Mabel, 
wife of Logan Mizner, of Toledo, and Roy, who married Elizabeth 
Kirby. Myrtle died in January, 1920, wife of Nathan McCurdy. 
Carrie, also deceased, was the wife of George Allen. 

Roy Doty volunteered as a soldier in the World war and was in 
service from March 6, 1918, to January 9, 1919. He was stationed at 
Oglethorpe, Georgia, Hammond, Virginia, and Cook Field, Dayton. 
The six grandchildren are: Lenore, Clettus and Hazel McCurdy, 
Merle and Elvie Mizner and Mabel Doty. 

Mr. Doty is a republican. He is a stockholder in the First National 
Bank of Butler, Indiana. He owns ninety-four acres of land in Flor- 
ence Township and is engaged in farming and raising livestock for 
the market. 


206 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Davin Doty.—There are three Doty brothers living in Florence 
Township on land their parents had owned, and while Eli Doty has 
given the story, two historians always describe a battle differently, and 
David has told something different of the family history. He was 
born May 24, 1853, a son of Lucius F. and Mary (Bash) Doty. They 
were Crawford County people who came to Williams County in 1846, 
when Northwestern Ohio was pretty wild country. They entered land 
and built a cabin on it, and as the country developed they developed 
with it. There are men and women of the present generation who 
would enjoy such an opportunity. The stories of the hardships of 
the pioneers are not recounted so often now as they were a generation 
ago. 
L. F. Doty died at forty-two years of age while his wife lived 
forty years longer, and while they were the parents of eight children 
only David, Eli and George are living today. While all had about the 
same educational advantages, David Doty was a pupil in the first dis- 
trict school taught in the Doty schoolhouse. The fact that the school- 
house was built on one corner of the land makes it a story to be 
remembered by him. The conditions surrounding the rural school 
have changed since that happy day in the long ago. 

On December 5, 1878, Mr. Doty married Samantha Alwood. She 
was born September 5, 1855, in DeKalb County, Indiana. Their 
daughter, Lola, born October 2, 1879, is the wife of Thomas Fiser 
and lives in DeKalb County. Their children are Fern and LaRue. 
Bertha Doty is the wife of Alva Kline of Edon. Their children are 
Maynard and Mera. The Dotys attend the United Brethren Church 
and he votes with the republican party. He owns farm land both in 
Williams County and in DeKalb County, Indiana. 


Samson D1xon.—The Dixon family represented by Samson Dixon 
of Florence Township, has always lived in Jackson County. Mr. Dixon 
was born there March 29, 1858, and his parents were both natives of 
Jackson County. He is a son of Giffee and Eliza (Coles) Dixon. The 
Dixon family contributed three sons to the Civil war, Giffee Dixon 
being one year in the service. 

He votes with the republican party, and of the six children born 
to them four are living today. Only Samson Dixon lives in Williams 
County. Ida is the wife of E. S. Plummer, of Dayton. Dr. E. M. 
Dixon lives at Stockdale. He is a graduate of the Louisville Medical 
College. Alva Dixon lives on the old family homestead in Jackson 


County. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 207 


Samson Dixon remained in Jackson County until he was thirty 
years old, running the old farm there; on January 22, 1888, he mar- 
ried Nrana V. Bennett. She was born July 24, 1864, in Pike County. 
When they married they settled on a farm in Jackson County, living 
there until 1906, when they removed to Williams County. Their son, 
Roscoe Dixon, born October 20, 1888, was in a training camp four 
months but he is now with the family in Williams County. Hazel, 
born June 5, 1892, is the wife of Frank Oberlin of Florence Township. 
Gwendolyn, born October 21, 1897, graduated with the 1915 class 
from the Edon High School and she is at home with her parents. 
While they have not always lived in Williams County, they are inter- 
ested in its history. 


Witiiam E. Van Wye.—A man of broad intelligence and excel- 
lent business capacity, William E. Van Wye, of Edgerton, is intimately 
associated with the advancement of the manufacturing interests of 
Williams County, and as proprietor of the Edgerton Glove Factory, is 
identified with a well-paying industry. He was born, July 20, 1868, 
in Florence Township, Williams County, where his father, Cameron 
Van Wye, settled in early manhood. 

A native of Mahoning County, Ohio, Cameron Van Wye was born 
and educated in Youngstown. Becoming familiar with the various 
branches of agriculture in his early life, he located in Florence Town- 
ship, near Blakeslee, soon after his marriage, and was there indus- 
triously employed in tilling the soil until his death. He married Mary 
J. Laub, who was born in Sylvania, Ohio, and brought up in Wil- 
liams County. Four children were born of their marriage, as follows: 
Amy, wife of William Custer; William E., the subject of this brief 
personal record; Ora, living in Bridgewater Township; and John, a 
resident of Angola, Indiana. The father was a stanch republican in 
politics. He served as a soldier in the Civil war for three years, and 
was a member of the Hiram Louden Post, Grand Army of the Repub- 
lic. Both he and his wife were affiliated by membership with the 
United Brethren Church. 

Growing to manhood on the home farm, William E. Van Wye was 
educated in the rural schools of Florence Township, and subsequently 
served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith’s trade, which he followed 
in Williams County for ten years. Going then to Michigan, he con- 
tinued at his trade a brief time, after which he decided to make a 
change of both residence and occupation. Migrating to Alberta, Can- 
ada, Mr. Van Wye homesteaded and pre-empted 320 acres of land, 


208 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


on which he lived and labored for nine years. Returning to the 
States, he established a glove factory in La Grange, Indiana, and 
operated it successfully five years. Coming from there to Williams 
County, Ohio, in October, 1919, he has since been actively and pros- 
perously engaged in the manufacture of gloves, as owner of the 
Edgerton Glove Factory having built up a substantial and remunerative 
business. He still owns his farm in Alberta, Canada, and finds it 
a paying investment. 

Mr. Van Wye married, at Montpelier, Ohio, in 1893, Ella Hughes, 
and they have five children, namely: Florence, Marie, Ida, Oren and 
Raymond. Mr. Van Wye is a republican in politics, and a member 
of the Independent order of Odd Fellows. 

‘ 

Lewis E. Grorr.—A useful, eminently worthy and valued citizen 
of Edgerton, Williams County, Lewis E. Groff, a well-patronized and 
prosperous tailor, has been in truth the architect of his own fortune. 
Coming to this city with but $30 to his name, he began life on a 
low rung of the ladder of attainments, and by close attention to his 
work, and a diligent use of his faculties and opportunities, has met 
with signal success in business, and gained a position of note in finan- 
cial and political circles. A son of Stanlus Groff, he was born, Febru- 
ary 28, 1871, in Fulton County, Ohio, of German and Swiss ancestry. 

A native of Germany, Stanlus Groff emigrated to this country in 
early manhood, locating in a small town in Fulton County, Ohio, 
where he followed the shoemaker’s trade for awhile. He subsequently 
lived for a time in Bryan, Williams County, Ohio, from there moving 
to Butler, Indiana, where he remained until his death. His wife, 
whose maiden name was Mary Walter, was born in Switzerland and 
reared and married in Fulton County, Ohio, where she came as a girl. 
Both were faithful members of the Lutheran Church. Of the eight 
children born of their union, seven are living, as follows: Lewis E., 
the special subject of this brief sketch; Frank, engaged in farming; 
Edward, engaged in the livery business at Butler, Indiana; Mrs. Mary 
Denenburg, of Marion, Ohio; Otto, of Detroit, Michigan; Mrs. Emma 
Roberts, of Butler, Indiana, and Carl, a machinist in Butler, Indiana. 

Acquiring his preliminary education in Fulton County, Ohio, 
Lewis E. Groff completed his studies in Butler, Indiana, and there 
learned the tailor’s trade. Coming to Edgerton, Ohio, in ‘1894, 
Mr. Groff, who had but a limited capital to start on, opened a shop, 
and as a tailor has since met with very satisfactory success, his skil- 
ful workmanship having won him a substantial patronage in Edgerton 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 209 


and vicinity. He is a man of good business ability and integrity, and 
is now one of the directors of both the Farmers Commercial Bank and 
» the Oak Manufacturing Company. 

Mr. Groff married Anna Packer, of Butler, Indiana, and their 
only child, Velma M., born in June, 1901, was graduated from the 
Edgerton High School and is now at home. A democrat in politics, 
Mr. Groff has been active and influential in public affairs, having 
served two years as city treasurer of Edgerton, and is now a member 
of the school board. Fraternally he is a member of Edgerton Lodge, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and a member, and past coun- 
cillor, of the Knights of Pythias, while Mrs. Groff belongs to the 
Pythian Sisters. 


James A. Nertt.—Deeds are thoughts crystallized, and Recents 
to their brilliancy do we judge the worth of a man to the country which 
produced him, and in his works we expect to find the true index to 
his character. A worthy representative of that type of American busi- 
ness man who may properly be termed “progressive,” that character 
which promotes public good in advancing individual prosperity and 
conserving popular interests, is James A. Neil, well-known business 
man of Montpelier, and president of the Municipal Contract and Sup- 
ply Company, of Gary, Indiana. He has been prominently identified 
’ with the building interests of this locality for many years, and while 
his efforts have brought him success, they have also advanced the 
general welfare. 

James A. Neil was born in Madison Township, Williams County, 
Ohio, about three and a half miles south of the town of Pioneer, on 
February 21, 1861, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Bowen) Neil. 
Joseph Neil was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on September 8, 1827, 
was reared in his native county, and in 1849 came to Williams County, 
locating in Bridgewater Township, where he remained until 1887, 
when he came to Montpelier, where his death occurred on February 
6, 1907. He was an active member of the Church of God and highly 
respected in the communities where he had lived. His wife was born 
in Richland County, Ohio, on November 15, 1827, and died on April 
8, 1904. They became the parents of ten children, of which number 
three are now living, namely: James A., the immediate subject of this 
sketch; S. G., who is engaged in the contracting business at Detroit, 
Michigan, and Jane, the widow of Eli S. Ault and living in Hardin 
County, Ohio. 


Vol. II—14 


210 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


The subject of this sketch was reared on the paternal farmstead 
and received his mental training in the public schools of Bridgewater 
Township. He remained on the home farm until he had attained his 
majority, though from the age of ten years he had worked at any- 
thing that offered itself, being practically self-sustaining from that age 
on. He began in a modest way to do contract work, in which he was 
successful, but after his marriage, in 1882, he engaged in farming for 
two years. In 1884 he went to Kansas and entered 160 acres of gov- 
ernment land, to which he later added another entry of the same size, 
thus becoming the owner of 320 acres of farm land there. After 
living on this land about five years, Mr. Neil’ returned to Williams 
County and entered into the contracting business. He met with pro- 
nounced success and erected many of the best residences and business 
blocks in this section of the country, among his last contracts being 
the Farmers and Merchants Bank building and the Odd Fellows Tem- 
ple. He became a stockholder in the Farmers and Merchants Bank 
and was the second president of that institution, holding that position 
about two years. He is still a member of the board of directors of 
that bank. As president of the Municipal Contract and Supply Com- 
pany, of Gary, Indiana, he is connected with a company of large size 
and prosperous business, the success of which has been mainly due 
to the energetic policy and sound business judgment of Mr. Neil. 
This company are road contractors and street contractors. He is 
recognized as a man of mature judgment and excellent business capac- 
ity, who has been eminently successful in his efforts, and he occupies a 
high standing among his business associates. 

On March 12, 1882, Mr. Neil was married to Viola Reader, who 
was born in Williams County on September 16, 1861, the daughter of 
George and Sarah (Metzler) Reader, who were early settlers in this 
county. To Mr. and Mrs. Neil has been born a son, Leslie R., born 
on May 30, 1883, who was married on November 24, 1907, to Almeda 
Bechtol and now lives in Montpelier. 

Politically, Mr. Neil is an earnest supporter of the republican 
party, though he has never taken a very active part in political affairs. 
Fraternally, Mr. Neil is a member and past noble grand of Montpe- 
lier Lodge No. 745, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Supe- 
rior Lodge No, 269, Knights of Pythias. Mrs. Neil is a member of 
the Pythian Sisters. Mr. Neil has been successful in business, respected 
in social life and as a neighbor he has discharged his duties in a man- 
ner becoming a liberal-minded, intelligent citizen of the state where 
the essential qualities of manhood have ever been duly recognized and 
prized at their true value. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 211 


Fay E. Lees, of Florence Township, is among the younger 
farmers here and was born October 10, 1893, and has always lived in 
Florence Township. His father, M. A. Lees, was born August 22, 
1842, at the same farmstead, but the mother, Hannah (Fettes) Lees, 
was born May 5, 1840, in Wayne County. They were married in 
Williams County and live in Edon today. Their daughter, Beulah, 
is the wife of Samuel J. Burkhart; Florence is the wife of Orvie Eys- 
ter. Howard, who graduated from the Fort Wayne Business College, 
is cashier of the First National Bank of Fremont, Indiana. All had 
Edon High School training, and Fay,,who graduated in the class of 
1913, had planned to become a farmer, and that fall he entered the 
Department of Agriculture in the University of Wisconsin. He was 
there two years and on June 2, 1917, he married Juanita Skelton. 
They have a daughter, Samantha J. Lees, born June 19, 1918, and 
the baby, Max Skelton, was born July 13, 1920. The family lives at 
the Lees homestead in Florence Township. 

Fay E. Lees is a breeder of Holstein cattle, and the head of his 
herd is Hark Dekol. He also specializes in Duroc Jersey hogs. He 
has grades in other livestock. Mr. Lees is chairman of the Florence 
Township branch of the Williams County Farm Bureau. He votes 
with the democratic party, and the family are communicants in the 
Christian Church in Edon. 


Watter L. Harnes.—The future looms large with economic prob- 
lems and of them all none is fundamentally more important than that 
of the production of food. Owing to the devastation of so much of 
the former fertile land of the Old World, food is going to be the 
great necessity of the next few years, so that the men who are devot- 
ing their talents and lives to agricultural pursuits are more important 
than ever, and deserving of special credit. It has taken a broad vision 
and high conception of duty to keep men from yielding to the lure of 
the more congested regions, but those who have remained on their 
farms are now reaping well-merited rewards, both in money and 
esteem. One of these really public-spirited men of Williams County 
who has attained considerable prestige locally on account of his farm- 
ing methods is Walter L. Haines, proprietor of the fine rural property 
known as the “Elm Flats,” 160 acres located four miles north and one 
and one-half miles west of Montpelier, in Bridgewater Township. 

Walter L. Haines was born in Bridgewater Township on February 
5, 1873, a son of J. M. and Mary A. (Waterson) Haines, the former 
of whom was born in Stark County, Ohio, June 15, 1838, and the lat- 
ter in Richland County, Ohio, May 13, 1847. She came with her 
parents to Williams County, Ohio, on September 3, 1853, and he 


212 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


came to this county with his parents in the fall of 1854, both families 
locating in Bridgewater Township, and here the young people were 
reared to maturity and were married on December 29, 1870. She was 
a daughter of Alexander and Jeanette (Forrest) Waterson, natives of 
the same county in Scotland, who came to the United States in 1831, 
following their marriage, and located on Scotch Ridge in Belmont 
County, Ohio, from whence they first moved to Richland County, Ohio, 
and then to Williams County, as before stated, and there they later 
died, firm in the faith of the Presbyterian Church. For years they 
were very active in the work of that denomination at Eagle Creek, 
Ohio. Of their eleven children one is now living, Mrs. Haines. She 
was only eight years old when she came to Williams County, and 
after she had been educated, she became a school teacher and taught 
for six terms. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Haines became the parents of 
eight children, five of whom are now living, namely: Alexander C., 
who lives three and one-half miles west of Montpelier; Walter L., 
whose name heads this review ; Hattie, who is the wife of J. E. Briner; 
Emerson E., who is a farmer of Northwest Township ; and Lewis E., 
who is on the old homestead. The other three died in infancy. 

J. M. Haines served three years in the Civil war, Company B, 
One Hundredth Indiana Regiment. He was a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, Louden Post. 

Walter L. Haines was reared in his native township and attended 
its schools. He learned to be a farmer under his father’s instruction 
and after acquiring his own farm put to practical use the knowledge 
and experience he had thus gained, and devotes his farm to general 
crops. 

On March 31, 1897, Mr. Haines was married to Ellen Ingram, 
born, reared and educated in Williams County. Mr. and Mrs. Haines 
have five children, namely: Hildreth, who is the wife of Harold 
Bauer; Helen M., who is a graduate of the Montpelier High School; 
and Dorothy, John M. and Jeanette, all of whom are attending the 
local schools. The Bridgewater Grange has Mr. and Mrs. Haines as 
members, and they also belong to the Farm Bureau. Very active in 
local politics, Mr. Haines has become a leader of the republican forces 
in this section. There is one grandchild in the family, Elwin Bauer 
who was born in 1919. 


? 


A. O. WiLL1AMs.—There is a common history in the life of A. O. 
Williams of Superior Township with that of his brother, Byron S. 
Williams, already written and yet he remembers some of the omitted 
points in family story. He was born December 1, 1867, in Williams 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 213 


County, a son of William and Mary (Simpson) Williams, and he is 
authority for the statement that the grandfather, Charles W illiams, 
came from Ireland. He located in Tuscarawas County and here Wil- 
liam Williams was born and lived until he came to Superior Township, 
Williams County. Charles Williams died in Tuscarawas County. 

Tt was in 1848 that William Williams came to Williams County, 
and the Simpson family into which he married came two years later. 
They all lived in Superior Township, and when William Williams mar- 
ried he settled in the same community. Six brothers in the Williams 
family were soldiers in the Civil war. For sixty years the family 
has been identified with the Methodist Church in Williams County. 
A. O. Williams is the oldest son of William Williams. The sister, Har- 
riet, wife of H. K. Brundage, lives near Tallahassee, Florida, and 
Byron S. Williams lives on the homestead. 

As a young man, A. O. Williams worked on his father’s farm until 
he was twenty, and then he sometimes worked by the month for others. 
On December 31, 1903, he married Demma Hoadley. She is a daugh- 
ter of Erastus and Sophia (Morris) Hoadley, and was born July 30, 
1871, in Florence Township. The father was born in Columbiana and 
the mother in Mahoning County. They were married in 1855 and 
located on a farm in Florence Township, Williams County. Mrs. Wil- 
liams was reared in Florence Township, and went to school in the 
same township. When Mr. and Mrs. Williams were married they 
lived two years in Bridgewater, then came to the farmstead in Supe- 
rior Township. They have one son, Lindon Roe. 

Mrs. Williams is a member of the Christian Church and he is a 
member of Superior Lodge No. 269, Knights of Pythias. The family 
are members of Montpelier Grange No. 2087, and Mr. Williams is its 
treasurer. He is also a member of the Montpelier Co-operative Asso- 
ciation. In politics he is a republican, and he served as deputy sheriff 
of Williams County under Albert Youse. He owns a farm of eighty 
acres in Superior Township, and has put many substantial improve- 
ments on it. 

Erastus Hoadley, the father of Mrs. A. O. Williams, first came to 
Williams County in 1853, two years before he married and settled 
down two miles east of Edon. He was a soldier in the Civil war from 
Williams County. When the Lake Shore, now known as the New 
York Central, Railroad was built, Mr. Hoadley was employed in its 
construction. Mrs. Hoadley died in 1888 at Edon and he died in 1905, 
at the family homestead there. The Williams-Hoadley families both 
belong to pioneer days in Williams County. 


214 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Grorce W. Fartee—The name of George W. Farlee is certainly 
entitled to special mention in a work of the nature of the one in hand, 
for he has long been one of the influential citizens and successful 
farmers of Superior Township, Williams County. A man of forceful 
individuality and marked initiative power, he has been well equipped 
for the duties of citizenship, while his probity of character and his 
genial personality have gained for him universal esteem and friend- 
ship in the locality where he has spent the major portion of his active 
and useful life. 

George W. Farlee, whose excellent farm is located in Superior 
Township, about two miles west of Montpelier, was born in Morrow 
County, Ohio, on November 22, 1858, and he is the son of Henry and 
Annie E. (Mathias) Farlee. His parents were both natives of Penn- 
sylvania, where the father was born on April 26, 1824, and in that 
state they were reared to maturity and received their educational train- 
ing. Henry Farlee was the son of Caleb and Annie Farlee. From 
Pennylvania he and his future wife came to Morrow County, Ohio, 
with their respective parents and there he completed his education in 
the common schools. His family were pioneers of that locality. His 
marriage to Annie E. Mathias occurred in 1857, and in 1864 they 
came to Williams County, settling in Northwest Township, where he 
bought and cleared a farm. Subsequently he sold that place and pur- 
chased another farm in the same township. In March, 1865, he enlisted 
in the One Hundred and Ninety-Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, with which he served until the end of the war. He and his 
wife were originally members of the Christian Church, but subse- 
quently transferred their membership to the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Henry Farlee died on July 7, 1891, and he was survived 
many years by his widow, whose death occurred on December 29, 
1919. They became the parents of five children, all of whom are liy- 
ing, namely: George W., the subject of this sketch; Catherine A., the 
wife of O. L. Brown, of Conneaut, Ohio; Sarah J., the wife of Frank 
Allman, of Superior Township, this county; Caleb, of Montpelier, 
and Samuel, of Superior Township. 

George W. Farlee was six years old when brought to Williams 
County by his parents, and his education was received in the district 
schools of this county. He remained at home until twenty-one years ° 
of age and during the latter years of that period he worked by the 
month on neighboring farms. He has never forsaken the vocation to 
which he was reared and has demonstrated his ability and knowledge 
of the best farming methods. After his marriage, which occurred in 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 215 


1896, Mr. Farlee located on the farm where he now lives and through 
the subsequent years he has given his undivided attention to its culti- 
vation, keeping up the improvements and maintaining the place at the 
highest standard of excellence. 

On August 6, 1896, Mr. Farlee was married to Alice R. White, who 
was born on the farm where she still lives, the daughter of Isaiah M. 
and Lavina E. (Weitz) White. Isaiah M. White was born in Supe- 
rior Township on May 5, 1842, on that farm, the son of Joseph H. 
White. The latter was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on 
October 14, 1806. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and when he 
was twenty-four years of age, he came to Newhope, Ohio, and there 
followed his trade. On May 8, 1830, he was married to Rebecca T. 
Leach, and in 1835 came to Crawford County, Ohio, where he pur- 
chased eighty acres of land. In 1839 he sold that land and came to 
Williams County, entering 160 acres of land, on which he made his 
home. He was a man of considerable prominence in his community, 
holding the office of justice of the peace. To him and his wife were 
born ten children, of which number two are now living, John B. and 
Isaiah M. White. To each of his sons, Joseph White gave forty acres 
of his land, the original farm thus having never left the family. On 
February 7, 1920, Isaiah M. and Lavina White celebrated the fifty- 
first anniversary of their marriage. They are the parents of three 
children, namely: Alice R., wife of the subject of this sketch; Mertie 
E., the wife of Alva Shankster, and Cassius O., of Winona, Okla- 
homa. Mr. and Mrs. Farlee are the parents of one daughter, Anna L., 
born on October 4, 1903, who is now a student in the Montpelier 
High School. 

Politically, Mr. Farlee has been a lifelong supporter of the repub- 
lican party and he has taken a deep interest in local public affairs, giv- 
ing his support to every movement for the advancement of the public 
welfare. He and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church at Montpelier. A man of high moral character, persistent 
industry and good business ability, Mr. Farlee has stood “four square 
to every wind that blows,” and he occupies an enviable position among 
his fellow citizens. 


Homer Peck, proprietor of Corner View Farm in Florence, con- 
sisting of 114 acres of well improved land six miles northwest of 
Montpelier, was born April 30, 1876, in Northwest Township. He 
is a son of Sanford and Emma (Lamb) Peck, the father a native of 
Northwest and the mother of Bridgewater townships. They had 


216), HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


similar homes and school advantages, and after their marriage they 
always lived in Northwest Township where they reared their family. 
Their children are: Homer, who enrolls the family in this history ; 
Clara, the wife of Oscar Bordner, and Blanche and Goldie. 

Homer Peck married Sylvia Rickets. They are members of Chris- 
tian Union Church, and he is a member of Edon Lodge Knights of 
Pythias, having filled several of the chairs. His father, Sanford 
Peck, was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. 
and Mrs. Peck are members of Spring Lake Grange No. 1963, and for 
four years he served as master of the Grange. He is a member of the 
Edon Farmers’ Co-operative Association, and believes in the upbuild- 
ing of the rural community. Mr. Peck is a democrat and for four 
years he served as trustee of Florence Township. 

Mr. Peck is a member of the board of directors of the Farmers 
and Merchants State Savings Bank, and he is a director in the Farm- 
ers Banking Company of Columbiana. He owns and operates a 
threshing outfit and is a breeder of Holstein cattle. Mr. Peck is in 
close touch with the business interests of Williams County. 


Frank BurkuHart.—A prominent and enterprising citizen of 
Edgerton, Frank Burkhart is not only vice president of the Farmers 
Commercial Bank, but is one of the leading farmers of Williams 
County, and carries on an extensive business as feeder and shipper 
of livestock. A son of George Burkhart, he was born, January 12, 
1864, in Crawford County, Ohio, of German ancestry. 

Tobias Burkhart, his paternal grandfather, was born in Germany, 
and as a child came with his widowed mother, Dorothea (Beal) Burk- 
hart, to the United States in 1804, settling in Lycemburg, Heppin 
Township, Pennsylvania. Choosing the free and independent life 
of a farmer, he came with his family to Ohio a few years after his 
marriage to Christena Keiss, locating first in Crawford County, but 
later moving to Williams County, where both he and his wife spent 
their declining years, his death having occurred in 1876, and hers 
in 1885. 

Born in Pennsylvania, March 22, 1829, George Burkhart came to 
Crawford County, Ohio, with his parents in 1847, and assisted in the 
pioneer labor of improving a farm in that locality. In 1870 he set- 
tled in St. Joseph Township, Williams County, Ohio, and from that 
time until his death was identified with the agricultural interests of 
the community in which he resided.. He married Rosanna Songer, 
who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of George Songer, who 


tts 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 217 


emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1815, locating first 
in Pennsylvania, where he married Catherine Ence, who was born in 
the Keystone State in 1807, and later moving to Crawford County, 
Ohio, where both spent the later years of their lives. 

Of the union of George and Rossana (Songer) Burkhart several 
children were born, as follows: Sophia, born July 23, 1854, is the 
wife of Daniel Mowry; Joseph, born May 25, 1858, married Lettie 
Casebeer; Sarah, born January 21, 1861, married Solomon Suffel; 
Samuel F., born June 6, 1862, now a farmer in St. Joseph Township, 
married Lena Landel; Frank, the special subject of this sketch; Ida, 
born December 25, 1866, is the wife of Chester Isenhood; and Anna, 
born April 4, 1872, is the wife of John Richmond. 

Brought up in St. Joseph Township, Frank Burkhart obtained his 
early education in the district schools, and as a boy and youth acquired 
valuable experience in the agricultural arts. Continuing a member 
of the parental household until thirty-one years old, he had the entire 
management of the home farm the last seven years that he lived upon 
it. A man of undoubted business and financial ability, Mr. Burkhart 
has judiciously invested a part of his wealth in land, owning a fine 
farm of 200 acres near Edgerton, and in addition to carrying on gen- 
eral farming with good results makes a specialty of feeding and ship- 
ping cattle and live stock, a branch of industry that under his manage- 
ment is exceedingly profitable. He was one of the organizers of the 
Farmers Commercial Bank of Edgerton, which has the following 
named officers: George Weber, president; Frank Burkhart, vice pres- 
ident ; James J. Jennings, cashier; and the directors are George Weber, 
Frank Burkhart, James J. Jennings, Jessie Houlton, Lewis Groff, 
E. A. Geauque and D. G. Koehner. 

Mr. Burkhart has been twice married. He married first, January 
31, 1895, Catherine Groff, who was born in Sterling, Illinois, January 
8, 1870, a daughter of Henry Groff. She died in early womanhood, 
leaving one son, Harry W. Burkhart, who was born September 10, 
1900, and was accidentally killed January 27, 1917. 

On November 29, 1916, Mr. Burkhart married Mrs. Mary 
(Hughes) Walker, a daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Alvert) 
Hughes, the former of whom was born in Seneca County, Ohio, and 
the latter in Pennsylvania. Her father, a school teacher in his younger 
days, came, after his marriage in Seneca County, Ohio, to Williams 
County, settling on a farm in Superior Township, where he was suc- 
cessfully engaged in tilling the soil during his remaining years. He 
was a republican in politics and ever interested in local matters. 


218 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Mr. Burkhart invariably supports the principles of the democratic 
party. Fraternally he belongs to Edgerton Lodge, Knights of Pythias, - 
and Mrs. Burkhart is a member of the Pythian Sisters. She is an 
active member of the Christian Church. Mr. Burkhart’s first wife 
attended the Evangelical Church, of which he was an attendant, and 
a liberal supporter. 

Mr. Burkhart recently acquired a tract of land in the Brownsville 
District, Texas, and expects to establish a winter home at this place. 


Frep O. Mitts.—In nearly every community are individuals who 
by innate ability and sheer force of character rise above their fellows 
and win for themselves conspicuous places in public esteem. Such” 
a one is the well-known gentleman whose name appears above, who is 
a native of the adjoining State of Indiana, but whose identification 
with Williams County is such that he is universally recognized as a 
man of undoubted ability, courage and loyalty. Fred O. Mills, the 
efficient and popular manager of the Liberty Cooperage and Lumber 
Company, at Montpelier, was born in Jay County, Indiana, on May 
4, 1891, and is the son of C. H. and Elizabeth (Stout) Mills. 
These parents were also natives of Jay County, where they were 
reared, educated and married. After their marriage they first set- 
tled on a farm in Jay County. In 1905 Mr. Mills engaged in the 
lumber mill business in Warren, Ohio, in which he was occupied 
until the fall of 1917, when he sold that business and came to Mont- 
pelier. Mr. Mills remained here until September, 1919, when he 
moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he now resides. He is the 
owner of a mill at Arcola, Indiana. He is a republican in his political 
sympathies, is a member of the United Commercial Travelers, and his 
religious membership is with the Presbyterian Church. To him and 
his wife were born nine children, of which number eight are now 
living. 

Fred O. Mills was about two years of age when his parents moved 
from Indiana to Van Wert County, Ohio, and he secured his educa- 
tional training in the public and high schools of Warren. He was 
then a student in Oberlin College for one year, at the end of which 
time he became associated with his father in the Warren Cooperage 
Factory for three years. He then became connected with the Peer- 
less Electric Company, at Warren, remaining with that concern for two 
years. He then became a student in the Ohio Northern University, 
at Ada, where he was when the United States entered the World War. 
He promptly volunteered and entered the officers training camp at 


Ae 
. 
a4 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 219 


Fort Benjamin Harrison, at Indianapolis, Indiana, where he received 
a commission as second lieutenant in August, 1917. He was then 
assigned to the Fifty-Ninth Regiment of Infantry and sent to the 
camp at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On October 2, 1917, Lieutenant 
Mills was transferred to the Fourth Machine Gun Battalion of the 
Second Division, and on December 23, 1917, sailed from Portland, 
Maine, arriving at Liverpool on January 7th following. From there 
he went to France and was in training camps until March 19, 1918, 
when he was sent into the lines at Verdun. On June 1, 1918, he 
took part in the historic engagement at Chateau Thierry, after which he 
was relieved on July 4. For bravery in the Bois de Belleau he was 
awarded the Croix de Guerre. On July 16, 1918, he took part in 
the attack on Soissons, where he was gassed, in consequence of which 
he was confined to a hospital for three weeks. In this engagement 
also he was cited for the Croix de Guerre for bravery in action. 
He remained inactive until September 12th, when he again went into 
action in the Saint Mihiel drive, during which he was again gassed 
and sent to hospital. On October 11th he rejoined his division and 
they were in maneuvers and rest in preparation for the Meuse-Argonne 
drive. On August 28, 1918, the subject had received a first lieutenant’s 
commission. They were located along the Meuse River, ready for 
action, when the armistice was signed, and on November 17th they 
started on the march for Germany, crossed the Rhine and located in 
Neuwied on Friday, December 13, 1918. On January 1, 1919, Lieu- 
tenant Mills was taken down with an attack of the “flu” and after 
his recovery he was granted a seventeen-day sick leave. He returned 
to France, with the intention of visiting a brother, and while there was 
again prostrated with the “flu” and sent to the hospital. _He was 
then put in Class D, to be returned to the United States, and on April 
8, 1919, he sailed from Brest on the Kaiserine Augusta Victoria, arriv- 
ing in New York on April 17th. He was sent to the Polyclinic Hos- 
pital, in New York City, whence he was transferred to the Base Hos- 
pital at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, from which he was dis- 
charged as fit for duty on May 21st. He was transferred to Camp 
Custer and assigned to the Tenth Infantry Regiment, but sent in his 
resignation, which was accepted on July 31, 1919. Lieutenant Mills 
at once returned to Montpelier and immediately turned his attention to 
civic pursuits. As stated at the beginning of this review, he is now 
acting as manager of the Liberty Cooperage and Lumber Company. 
He is well qualified for his position, possessing good business ability, 
sound judgment and industrious habits and is handling the duties of 
his position in a manner entirely satisfactory to ail concerned. 


220 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


On November 24, 1919, Lieutenant Mills was married to Elsie L. 
Timmons, of Kirkersville, Ohio. Politically, the subject gives his sup- 
port to the republican party, while his religious membership is with 
the Presbyterian Church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free 
and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained the degrees of the 
Chapter, and to the United Commercial Travelers. He is also a 
member of Post No. 109, American Legion, of which he is the present 
commander. In every relation of life, Mr. Mills has proven true to 
his trust and today no one in his community enjoys to a greater 
degree the respect and confidence of the people generally than does he. 


Frep Hetp.—While he was born in Sandusky County, April 2, 
1864, Fred Held of Florence Township has been in Williams County 
since 1873, and he owns a farm of eighty acres. His parents, Fred- 
erick and Catharine (Algire) Held, were born in Baden, Germany, and 
while they were not acquainted until they met on the sailing vessel, 
they came together to the United States. Frederick Held was thirty 
years old when he emigrated to America. He came to Huron County, 
where he worked by the month for two years before he married Cath- 
arine Algire whom he had known as a passenger across the Atlantic. 
For a year they lived in Huron County and then they moved to 
Bellevue. 

While in Bellevue, he worked four years in a distillery as a night 
watch, then he returned to Huron County where he bought a team 
and became a farmer, renting farm land there six years, when he 
came to Williams County. In 1873 Frederick Held bought the farm 
owned today by his son, Fred Held, and it was his home for many 
years. He voted the democratic ticket and was a member of the 
Catholic Church at Blakeslee. Nine children were born in the Held 
family, although only five survive as Fred relates the history. They 
are John, Emma, Fred, Catharine and Mary. 

Fred Held was nine years old when his parents came to Williams 
County. He had common school education and on May 28, 1895, he 
married Josephine Trausch who was born in Florence Township. 
They have always lived at the Held family homestead. Their children 
are: Robert, Martha, Michael, Oscar and Bernard. They are all 
members of the Catholic Church at Blakeslee. 

Mr. Held is the democratic county central committeeman from 
the south precinct in Florence Township, and for three years he served 
as constable in the community. For seven years he served as town- 
ship trustee, and he has always been active in politics of Williams 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 221 


County. He is a member of the Farmers’ Co-operative Company at 
Blakeslee and is always interested in anything that advances the cause 
of agriculture. 


Jacop Watz.—Since he was a boy eleven years, Jacob Walz of 
Low Land Farm in Florence has been a resident of Williams County. 
He was born February 20, 1872, in Wurtemberg, Germany. He is a 
son of Christopher and Barbara (Hainz) Walz who were children 
together in Germany and emigrated to the United States several years 
after their marriage in that country. They came direct to Williams 
County in 1883, and they bought a farm in Florence Township and 
settled there. Their children are: Christopher, of Kansas; Catharine, 
wife of Henry Durr, of Steuben County, Indiana; Adam, of Florence 
Township; Mary, wife of George Kaiser, of Florence Township; 
Jacob, who enrolls the family in the “History of Williams County,” 
and Fred Walz of Center Township. 

The Walz family are Lutherans in their church relation and they 
vote with the democratic party. While the children were born in 
Germany they were educated in America, Jacob Walz being only 
eleven and coming to the United States young enough to learn Amer- 
ican methods in everything. There was a German school in Edon 
and they had common school education. Until he was twenty, Jacob 
Walz worked for his father and then he went among others working 
by the month. He was the young man to save his money. 

On January 21, 1897, Jacob Walz married Susan J. Lerch. She 
was born in Allen and reared in DeKalb County, Indiana. They set- 
tled on the farm where they live today and have always lived there. 
Their children are: Clara, Lavina, William, Edna and Dora. All are 
being given a common school education, the older ones having gradu- 
ated from the public schools. They are all members of the Lutheran 
Church at Edon. Mr. Walz is a member of the Farmers’ Co-opera- 
tive Association, and is interested in the welfare of the man in the 
country. There are 168 acres in Low Land Farm and it is under an 
excellent state of cultivation. 


Tuomas R. BostaTerR, of Florence Township, three miles from 
Edon, was born December 1, 1880, in Defiance County. He is a son 
of Andrew J. and Mary A. (Hodson) Bostater. While the father 
was born at Wooster, Ohio, the mother is a native of Bridgewater 
Township. She is a sister of Martin Hodson of Pioneer. The Bos- 
taters are Presbyterians and the family vote is cast with the repub- 
licans. 


222 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Andrew J. Bostater was a medical doctor, a graduate of the med- 
ical college at Ann Arbor, Michigan. For a time he practiced medicine 
at Pioneer. Later he practiced medicine in Toledo, and he owned a 
drug store there. Doctor Bostater had seven children. The daughter 
Florence, who is the widow of Solomon Johnson, is a daughter 
by the first marriage with Alice Sweden. There were six children 
from the second marriage. Grace is the wife of S. L. Kelley of 
Toledo; Frank M. is with the Electric Stove Company of Toledo; 
Elizabeth is a graduated nurse from the Presbyterian Hospital in 
Chicago; Lucile is a graduate of the Fayette Normal and is the wife 
of F. C. Koos of South Bend, Indiana; Thomas R. Bostater relates 
the family history, and Gertrude, a graduate of the Montpelier High 
School and lives in Montpelier, but is doing Young Women’s Christian 
Association work now in Chicago. 

Thomas R. Bostater was educated in common school and at the 
Fayette Normal. He has the B. S. degree from Fayette. He was 
a teacher in public school and he married Daisy M. Moore who was 
also a teacher. She was a graduate of the Waldron High School in 
Michigan. Their children are: Mary E., who is in the Edon High 
School, and Arthur J. and Margaret E. who are in common school. 
The family are members of the Christian Church in Edon. Mr. 
Bostater is an elder in the church. 

T. R. Bostater is president of the Edon Farmers Co-operative 
Association and a member of Spring Lake Grange. He is interested 
in all farmer movements of the community. He lives on a farm in 
Florence Township, Williams County. 


SaMvueEL D. Katser.—The development of Williams County has 
been chiefly due to the sustained efforts of individuals and families 
carried on year after year, resulting in the planting of homes, the 
clearing away of the woods, bringing the land under cultivation, and 
through the co-operative enterprises of road building, erection of 
schools and churches, and the facilities and resources that come from 
collective effort. 

With this development for more than six decades the Kaiser 
family has had a more than ordinary share and participation. Of 
this family perhaps the best known in the present generation is Samuel 
D. Kaiser, whose estate, the Maple Forest Farm, near Edon, is familiar 
to thousands of stock growers outside of Williams County and has 
a well justified fame as the home of Kaiser’s Registered Shropshire 
sheep. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 225 


Mr. Kaiser was born March 23, 1875, on the farm home two and 
a fourth miles north of Edon, where he and his family reside today. 
He is a son and the youngest child living of William F. Kaiser, Sr., 
and Eva Catherine (Klink) Kaiser, both now deceased. 

The late William F. Kaiser was born in Kusterdingen, Wuertem- 
berg, Germany, March 8, 1830, and in 1832 was brought to America 
by his parents John George and Eva Barbara Kaiser, who for four 
years made their home in Columbiana County, Ohio, and then moved 
to Richland County the same state, locating two miles east of Shelby. 
William F. Kaiser grew up in that locality, acquired a common school 
education, and for six years worked as a carpenter. In those days 
he was regarded as a skilled worker, and some of the buildings he 
constructed from the mammoth oak timber more than sixty years 
ago may be seen just as they were erected, while others have been 
remodeled and modern equipments installed. 

September 7, 1858, he married Eva Catherine Klink, who was born 
April 20, 1839, in Chatfield Township, Crawford County, Ohio, where 
she grew to womanhood. Soon after their marriage in 1858, with 
their meager household outfit in horse drawn vehicles, over desperately 
muddy roads, they moved to Williams County, locating on the farm 
where Samuel D. was born and where they lived out the remainder 
of their lives. This farm at that time contained 180 acres and 
was in its natural state, a dense forest. The obstructive timber, great 
oaks, walnut, poplar and other varieties that would be of great value 
now, was cleared away and burned, and acre by acre was made arable 
until all but thirty acres, reserved for forestry, was under cultivation. 

Ten children were born to William F. Kaiser and wife. Seven 
grew to maturity and are still living, named: Lena Krill, George F., 
Mary Weber, Rebecca Koerner, Anna Krill, Sarah Plogsterd and 
Samuel D. Kaiser. As these children one by one left the parental 
home to establish homes of their own, the parents provided each with 
a good start in life. The parents were widely known and highly 
respected for the charitable dispositions, and helpfulness in time of 
need, were always loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
and active in every good cause. William F. Kaiser died April 2, 
1904, and some time before his death had sold eighty acres of his 
land. The mother controlled the balance of the homestead farm con- 
sisting of 100 acres until the time of her death September 3, 1909. 

Samuel D. Kaiser acquired his education in the common schools 
and also took a practical business course by correspondence in the 
Michigan Business Institute of Kalamazoo. From the age of eighteen 


224 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


he managed the homestead farm for his parents, and on March 21, 
1910, bought the place from the heirs of the estate. He then named 
it the Maple Forest Farm, the characteristic feature and source of 
the name being ten acres of timber mostly hard maple on the north- 
east corner of the farm. Mr. Kaiser firmly believes in scientific 
principles of farming and the maintenance of the fertility of the soil. 
Practice amounts to more than theory in his case, demonstrated by 
the quality and quantity, per acre, his soil yields in return for his 
labor. He has no use for scrubby stock, and is also delighted to show 
his line of breeding. Especially he takes pride in his flock of registered 
Shropshire sheep. Having studied and managed this one breed exclu- 
sively for twenty-five years, gives him a knowledge of its excellent 
points and the correct type of the real Shropshire. By honest, fair 
and square dealing with customers, there has developed a demand 
for his stock known as Kaiser’s Shropshires, which he is never able 
to supply. 

It is only natural that so much progressiveness in the management 
_ of his individual affairs should extend to public improvements, such 
as better roads, better schools, better churches. He has exhibited a 
community spirit of unselfishness, and at the same time is conservative 
in handling the public funds. For eight years he has been a member 
of the Florence Township Board of Education and was re-elected 
to that post in November, 1919. He is serving his second term as 
a member of the Williams County Board of Education. He is con- 
nected with various movements which he believes will bring about 
better marketing facilities for farm products, and is one of the men 
who sustain and make effective such organizations as the Williams 
County Farm Bureau, the Edon Farmers’ Co-operative Company, the 
Williams County Wool Growers’ Association, and the Farmers’ 
Institute. 

December 18, 1894, Mr. Kaiser married Ida E. Kiess. She was 
born in Whetstone Township, near Bucyrus, Crawford County, Ohio, 
May 28, 1876, being the youngest child of Jonathan H. and Elizabeth 
(Cook) Kiess. The older children consisted of a son and two daugh- 
ters, the son and one daughter dying in youth. The two surviving 
daughters are Rebecca Crall and Ida E. Kaiser. The mother of these 
children died in July of the same year of Mrs. Kaiser’s birth, and 
she was then taken by relatives to Richland Township, Steuben County, 
Indiana, where she was educated and grew to womanhood. Her 
foster parents were William F. and Mary (Cook) Kiess. Her father, 
Jonathan H. Kiess, remained a widower for some time and then mar- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 225 


ried Rachel Cook, a cousin to his first wife. To this union were 
born four children, named Wesley, Olen, Charles and Bertha, the latter 
now Mrs. Vernon Schieber. Jonathan Kiess was born December 9, 
1840, near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and in 1851 came with his 
father, his mother having died three days after his birth, to Crawford 
County, Ohio, locating at Bucyrus, where he had his residence for 
more than sixty years. He was a popular farmer, owned a farm’ 
place of 160 acres, and gave to it his personal management until his 
death on April 26, 1912. He was public spirited, and his influence 
could always be counted upon for every project for the public welfare. 
He and his family were members of the Evangelical Church. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser have two daughters, Mildred Evadne, born 
October 6, 1899, and Pauline Gladys, born November 11, 1902. They 
were given every advantage in attending the country schools, each 
completing the eighth grade work at the age of twelve, and they 
graduated from the first grade high school at the age of sixteen. 
Mildred graduated from the Edon High School in the spring of 1916 
and was a post graduate of the same school the following year. She 
then entered the Tri-State College at Angola for a four-year course 
of music under Professor A. G. Harshman, and received her diploma 
as a Bachelor of Music in the spring of 1920. While in college she 
was called upon temporarily to teach in the public schools, and on 
different occasions filled vacancies for a period of several months. 
During her last year in the musical conservatory of the Tri-State 
College she also took a course in teacher’s training to qualify as 
musical supervisor in public schools. Pauline graduated from the 
Edon High School in the spring of 1919, and having also distinctive 
musical gifts had spent summer months as a student under Pro- 
fessor A. G.-Harshman. In the winter of 1919 she also entered the 
Tri-State College to finish the musical course taking at the same 
time the teachers’ training course. All the family are sincere and 
consistent members of the Edon Methodist Episcopal Church. 


BENJAMIN T. LINGLE, living near Edon in Florence Township, 
was born February 1, 1849, in Springfield Township, and he has always 
lived in Williams County. He is a son of John and Catharine (Bel- 
ford) Lingle, the father coming from Pennsylvania to Southern 

Ohio where they were married and they settled in Springfield Town- 
ship, Williams County. John Lingle was a blacksmith and combined 
farming with working at the forge. He was a democrat. They were 
members of the Lutheran Church, and of their ten children six are 

Vol. II—15 


226 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


living, A. D. 1920, when B. T. Lingle relates the family story. They 
are: Sarah, Jane, Benjamin T., William, Cyrus and George. B. T. 
Lingle remained on the home farm in Springfield Township until 
after the death of his father, when he began farming in Florence 
Township. 

Mr. Lingle married Lydia F. Eagle of Pulaski Township and 
when they located in Florence they bought eighty acres of land, and 
they placed all of the improvements on it. Their daughter, Minnie 
M. Lingle, died in childhood, and on February 12, 1880, twin sons, 
William C. and Charles C. Lingle, were born to them. W. C. Lingle 
is a coal dealer in Edon and Charles C. is a hardware merchant in 
Hamilton, Indiana. The family are members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church in Edon. Mr. Lingle raises grade live stock of all 
kinds and is a member of the Montpelier Farmers’ Co-operative Asso- 
ciation. 

Mrs. Lingle is a daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Weaver) Eagle. 
She was born January 26, 1855, in Pulaski Township. Her parents 
came from Montgomery County, Ohio, to Williams County. They 
settled in Pulaski Township, six miles southeast of Bryan. Mr. and 
Mrs. Lingle were married February 19, 1874, and they have always 
lived in Williams County. 


GEORGE JERGER is a prosperous farmer of St. Joseph Township, 
his prosperity having been due to his persistent effort carried on 
through a long period of years, and he belongs to one of the old and 
prominent families of Williams County. 

Mr. Jerger, whose farm is a mile southwest of Edgerton, was 
born in St. Joseph Township May 25, 1872, son of J. B. and Elizabeth 
(Magrum) Jerger. His father was born in Baden, Germany, Novem- 
ber 30, 1834, while the mother was a native of Buffalo, New York. 
J. B. Jerger came to the United States at the age of nineteen, was 
married at Buffalo where he lived for several years, and then came 
as a pioneer to Williams County, locating north of Edgerton. At the 
time of his death he had lived on one farm in that locality for fifty- 
four years. He was thrifty, industrious, and prosecuted his affairs 
so that at one time his estate was valued at $50,000. He was twice 
married and had thirteen children by his first wife and seven by the 
second. The first group of children were Mary, Josephine, John, 
Frank, Joseph, Lena, Anthony, George, Elizabeth, Frances, Emma, 
Dora and Charles. The children of the second marriage were Anna 
and Daniel, twins, Louise, Clara, William, Frederick and Ida. The 
father was a democrat in his political affiliations. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 227 


George Jerger grew up on his father’s farm, attended district 
schools and remained at home until the age of thirty. After he was 
twenty-one he worked for wages, and at twenty-five he married Miss 
Gertrude Hoch, a native of St. Joseph Township, Williams County. 
Mr. and Mrs. Jerger had three children, Clarence, deceased, Raymond 
and Marvin. 

Mr. Jerger is still an active farmer, and the scene of his efforts 
is 100 acres of fertile and well cultivated land. He is a democrat in 
politics and with his family is a member of the Catholic Church. 


Joun AttmMan.—The history of the loyal sons and representative 
citizens of Williams County would not be complete should the name 
that heads this review be omitted. When the fierce fire of rebellion 
was raging through the Southland, threatening to destroy the Union, he 
responded with patriotic fervor to the call for volunteers and in some 
of the bloodiest battles and severest campaigns for which that great 
war was noted proved his loyalty to the government he loved so well. 
During a useful life in the locality where he lives he has labored 
diligently to promote the interests of the people, has been devoted to 
the public welfare and today none stands higher in the esteem of the 
people among whom he lives. 

John Allman, whose fine farm of 114 acres is located in Superior 
Township, was born in Stark County, Ohio, on December 27, 1840, 
and he is the son of James and Margaret (Anspaugh) Allman. These 
parents were natives of Pennsylvania and both were brought to Ohio 
by their respective parents, who settled in Stark County, the Allman 
family in 1810. There James Allman and Margaret Anspaugh were 
married and lived until 1842, when they came to Williams County, set- 
tling in section 5, Superior Township. There they spent the rest of 
their lives, the father dying in 1846 and being survived many years 
by his widow, who death occurred in 1890. They were the parents 
of the following children: Catherine, who became the wife of Wil- 
liam Ingram; Barney P., deceased; Hayman C., who was a soldier 
in the Civil war and was killed in the battle of Jonesboro; Magdalen, 
the wife of Thomas Ingram; John, the immediate subject of this 
sketch; Agnes, who is now deceased, was the wife of J. W. Pew; 
Jacob, deceased. 

John Allman was about two years of age when his parents brought 
their family to Williams County and here he was reared to manhood 
and secured his education in the district. schools. He remained at 
home until August 29, 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Thirty- 
Eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which became a part of 


228 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


the Army of the Cumberland. On November 10, 1862, he was detailed 
and assigned to the Pioneer Corps of that army, being assigned to 
Company C, and took part in the sanguinary battle of Stone’s River. 
In the spring of 1863 he was again detailed on the Pontoon Battalion, 
serving in that sérvice until December, 1863, when he was promoted 
to forage master of the pontoon train. Later he was made wagon 
master, having charge of the train from Bridgeport to Chattanooga, 
and thence to Mission Ridge. There he had charge of the wagon 
or pontoon train. On December 10, 1863, Mr. Allman came home 
on a furlough and he veteranized, re-enlisting in Company H of the 
Thirty-Eighth Regiment, and returned to his home on a thirty-day 
furlough. He then rejoined his command and was with Sherman on 
his campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta. On August 12, 1864, he 
was transferred to Company D of the First United States Engineers, 
with which he served until September 26, 1865, when he was given 
an honorable discharge. Though Mr. Allman took part in much of 
the most strenuous service of the war, exposed to attack by the enemy 
and to the most taxing labor, he was never wounded nor confined to 
hospital. He rendered faithful service in every service to which 
he was assigned and was discharged with an honorable record and 
the rank of artificer. 

On his return home Mr. Allman resumed his farm work and has 
never relinquished his active interest in agricultural affairs. His 
splendid farm of 114 acres is located one mile north and three miles 
west of Montpelier, being numbered among the best improved, most 
highly cultivated and most productive farms of the locality. Mr. All- 
man carries on general farming operations, in connection with which 
he also gives some attention to the raising of live stock, and in both 
departments he has met with well deserved success. 

On November 19, 1865, Mr. Allman was married to Lucinda 
Simpson, who was born in Holmes County, Ohio, on April 28, 1842, 
and whose death occurred on June 22, 1899. She came with her 
parents to Williams County, the family settling on a farm in Superior 
Township, where she was reared, receiving her educational training 
in the district schools of that neighborhood. To Mr. ‘and Mrs. All- 
man were born five children, namely: Frank, a farmer in Superior 
Township; Charles S., who remains at home; Elva, who was a teacher 
in the public schools, became the wife of Elmer Lytle, of Quincy, 
Michigan; Eva, a twin sister of Elva, is unmarried and remains at 
home; Clara J., the wife of Charles Bowen, of Bridgewater Township. 

Politically, Mr. Allman has always given his support to the repub- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 229 


lican party and has thrown his support to every worthy movement 
for the advancement of the community’s best interests. He is a 
member of Hiram Louden Post, No. 155, Grand Army of the Republic, 
of which he is the present commander. He is a member of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church and has been active in support of its every 
interest. A man of genial personality, he has easily made friends and 
because of this fact and his other sterling qualities he enjoys the 
sincere esteem of the entire community. 


Witt1am Moss, ex-county commissioner and ex-justice of the 
peace for Mill Creek Township, is one of the leading men of Williams 
County, and one of the prosperous farmers of his section. Mr. Moss 
was born in Richland County, Ohio, on December 13, 1852, a son of 
Samuel and Priscilla (Turbeth) Moss, natives of West Virginia and 
Pennsylvania, respectively. The paternal grandfather, Thomas W. 
Moss, came to Richland County, Ohio, from Pennsylvania, at an early 
day, and there he died. Samuel Moss was reared in Richland County, 
Ohio, and there married, but in 1853 he came to Williams County and 
located on a farm of 160 acres of land in Mill Creek Township. He 
and his wife were Presbyterians in their religious faith, while in pol- 
itics, he was a democrat. They had five children born to them, 
namely: Thomas, who is deceased; Ellen, who married Thomas 
Crawford; Joseph, who is deceased; Sarah, who is the widow of 
Samuel Holenbaugh; and William, who is the youngest. 

William Moss was reared on the farm he now owns, and attended 
the public schools of his neighborhood. For four terms he taught 
school, but then decided to devote all of his attention to farming, 
and has made a success of it. Mr. Moss has prospered and now in 
addition to his fine farm and its equipment, owns stock in the Bryan 
Democrat. 

On April 29,.1875, William Moss was united in marriage with 
Malinda Clay, who was born in Mill Creek Township, and educated 
in its schools. Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Moss moved 
on the farm, first. renting it and then. buying it and now they 
have 100 acres of land. They became the parents of four children, 
namely: George S., who was graduated from the schools of Fayette 
and later from the law school of Ada, Ohio, is now a practicing 
attorney of Toledo, Ohio; T. E., who was graduated from the Fayette 
Schools and the Metropolitan Business College, was a stenographer 
for the Michigan Central Railroad, but is now on the farm; Mary 
L., who attended the public schools, married Frank Raymond, and 


230 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


they live on the Moss Farm; W. D., who was graduated from the 
Metropolitan Business College of Toledo, Ohio, is now living at Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. Mr. Moss and his wife belong to the Presbyterian 
Church of West Unity, of which he is an elder. He belongs to Supe- 
rior Lodge No. 179, Free and Accepted Masons, and he and Mrs. Moss 
are members of West Unity Chapter, Order of Eastern Star. 

Mr. Moss has been very prominent as a democrat, and served for 
two terms and was appointed for another term, in all six years, as 
county commissioner of Williams County, and for twenty-one years 
was a justice of the peace of Mill Creek Township. A man of sound 
judgment his decisions were seldom reversed by the higher courts, and 
he was recognized as one of the most just men in that office, as he 
has always been in everyday transactions. 


JosepH GreEK.—Numbered among the dependable citizens and 
prosperous farmers of Mill Creek Township is Joseph Greek, whose 
farm is located on section 6, one and one-half miles east of Kunkle. 
He was born in Richland County, Ohio, on January 12, 1844, a son 
of Frederick and Margaret Greek. Frederick Greek was born in 
Pennsylvania on September 18, 1811, and his wife was born on July 
29, 1814. They came to Richland County, Ohio, in 1840, and after 
a period of several years moved to Hancock County, Ohio, and then, 
in 1854, located in Williams County, where his death occurred in 1895, 
his wife passing away in 1894. They were Dunkards in religious 
belief. Of their fourteen children, eight survive, namely: John, who 
is a resident of Tiffin, Ohio; Joseph, who is the second child; George, 
who is a resident of Idaho; Wesley B., who is a resident of Alabama; 
Elias, who is a resident of Mill Creek Township; Jane, who is the wife 
of Frank Throne; William F., who is a resident of Kunkle, Ohio; 
and Margaret, who is the wife of John Oxinger of Reading, Michigan. 

Joseph Greek has practically spent his life in Williams County, and 
is thoroughly identified with its best interests, and is a product of its 
public schools. During the war between the two sections of the coun- 
try, he sided with the Union, and enlisted in Company F, Thirty-Eighth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and when his first period of service was 
completed, he re-enlisted, in 1863, in Company G. Sixty-Eighth Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the campaign in the Shenan- 
doah Valley and the one in Georgia with General Sherman, including 
the famous “March to the Sea.” Following the close of the war he 
took part in the Grand Review at Washington, and then returned 
home. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 231 


Following his return from the army, Mr. Greek worked at the car- 
penter trade, but later bought a farm in Mill Creek Township, and now 
owns 157 acres of land, which is finely improved. He has alternated 
farming with work at his trade, and has been eminently successful 
at both. 

On October 15, 1867, Mr. Greek was married first to Melissa 
West, who died on January 19, 1886, having borne her husband five 
children, namely: Ada B., who is the wife of J. E. Walcott; Jane, 
who is the wife of George W. Werdner; Emerson, who is unmarried, 
is a railroad man of Lima, Ohio; Arthur J., who married Jennie Man- 
ville, lives in Mill Creek Township, and Carrie L., who is deceased. 
After the death of his first wife, Mr. Greek was married to Sarah 
J. Drum, on September 23, 1888. She was born in Pennsylvania 
on January 30, 1858, and was brought to Brady Township, Williams 
County by her parents in 1860. By his second marriage Mr. Greek 
had three children, namely: Carl E., who was born on February 3, 
1890, was graduated from the Fayette High School, married Myrtle 
Sayers, and they have two children—Ruth B. and Clifford O.; Glenn 
D., who was born September 23, 1894, was graduated from the West 
Unity High School, married Florence Utter, and lives at Columbus, 
Ohio. During the World war Glenn D. was in the service, was sent 
overseas, and was wounded. Mildred, the third child, who was born 
on February 25, 1900, was graduated from the West Unity High 
School, and is now at home. The family belong to the Evangelical 
Church. In politics Mr. Greek is a republican and he served as town- 
ship trustee and was county commissioner for one term. Both in 
war and peace he has proven his worth as a man and a citizen, and 
he is held in the highest regard by the many who have the pleasure of 
his acquaintance. 


Emery Bunce, who is vice president of the Farmers Banking 
- Company of Columbia, laid the foundation of his business career as 
a farmer, and still gives most of his time to his well improved place 
of 138 acres in Northwest Township, seven miles north and a mile 
west of Edon. 

The Bunce family were among the pioneers of Williams County, 
and their collective efforts have contributed not a little to its develop- 
ment and prosperity for a period of seven decades. 

Emery Bunce was born in Florence Township, Williams County, 
April 27, 1863. His grandparents were Jacob and Laura (Wilcox) 
Bunce. The grandfather was born in New York State in 1788. His 


232 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


first wife, Laura Wilcox, died in Perrysburg, Ohio. Later he removed 
to Crawford County, Ohio, and married Miss Nancy Kelley. His 
death occurred in Crawford County in 1842. The seven children of 
his first marriage were Freeman, Lydia, Rhoda, James, Calista, Rus 
sell and Daniel. 

James Bunce, father of Emery, was born in New York April 7, 
1820. He married Elizabeth Gloar, who was born in the same state 
March 2, 1822. However, they were reared from childhood in ‘Ohio, 
and about 1848 as young people moved into the wilderness of Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, and located in Florence Township where they 
did their part as pioneers. Later they moved to Northwest Township 
where they spent their last years. James Bunce died in January, 
1892, and his wife in November, 1891. They were married May 6, 
1845, and their children were: Martha J. and John, deceased; Jacob, 
a farmer near Litchfield, Michigan; James A., of Northwest Town- 
ship; Laura F., wife of Sidney Malcomb; Samuel, of Whitley County, 
Indiana; Charles F., of Jonesville, Michigan; Emmit and Emery, 
twins, the former of whom died in 1908. 

Emery Bunce was reared and spent his entire active life in Wil- 
liams County and after leaving school applied his efforts to farming, 
and has kept steadily to that vocation though he has lent his capital 
and influence to business and other public movements. 

April 5, 1888, he married Dora Brunk. She died December 26, 
1895, the mother of four children: Ella, born February 7, 1889, a 
graduate of the common schools and still at home; James R., who was 
born December 29, 1892, and died September 3, 1893; J. Wesley, 
born February 18, 1894, now a farmer in Steuben County, Indiana; 
and George, born December 25, 1895, and died January 5, 1896. 

March 13, 1897, Mr. Bunce married Ella Skinner, who was born 
in Northwest Township January 24, 1867. She is a graduate of the 
common schools, attended the Montpelier High School, and was a 
successful teacher for two terms. Mr. and Mrs. Bunce have three 
children: Martha J., born July 12, 1898, wife of Dale Crawford of 
Northwest Township; James E., born November 7, 1903, a graduate 
of the common schools; and Emery E., born April 27, 1905. The 
family are members of the United Brethren Church and Mr. Bunce is 
a republican. He is an ex-trustee of Northwest Township. 


FRANKLIN Biair—The career of Franklin Blair has been char- 
acterized by such industry and good management as to make him one 
of the prosperous citizens of St. Joseph Township. He is a member 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 233 


of one of the oldest of the families of Williams County and the asso- 
ciations of his own life have been centered at a farm that has been in 
the possession of the Blair family since 1836. 

This farm of Mr. Blair was entered from the Government by his 
grandfather, James Blair, in 1836. It is two and a half miles south- 
west of Edgerton in St. Joseph Township. 

This farm is the birthplace of Franklin Blair where he first saw 
the light of day, April 21, 1861, only a few days after the outbreak 
of the Civil war. His parents were Seth and Laura (Ball) Blair. 
His father was born on the same farm, and lived there continuously 
until his death on July 25, 1900. About the time of the birth of his 
son Franklin he enlisted for service in the Civil war, but was rejected. 
He was a man of quiet and unassuming character and lived a long 
and honorable life. He was twice married. Of the four children of: 
his first marriage the only one now living is Curtis Blair of Bryan, 
- Ohio. His second wife, Laura Ball, who died at the old homestead 
December 14, 1914, was the mother of Franklin, Mary, wife of Henry 
Willman of Defiance County; Wilson of St. Joseph Township, and 
Henry who died when seven years of age. 

Franklin Blair was reared on the old farm, attended district and 
high schools, and except for one year in southwestern Missouri has 
spent all his life in this one spot. He taught school one term, but 
for many years has given his energies to the cultivation and manage- 
ment of his good farm of sixty-five acres. 

December 15, 1899, he married Mary E. Jefferds, who was born 
in DeKalb County, Indiana, in 1870, and was educated in the district 
schools. They have two children: James A., a graduate of the com- 
mon schools and the Edgerton High School, and Gladys P., now a 
student in the Edgerton High School. The family are active members 
of the Christian Church, Mr. Blair being one of the elders. He is a 
stanch republican and has filled with credit several township offices. 


Wiriiam H. Steere, M. D.—Some one has aptly said, “He serves 
the Master best who serves humanity most.” There is no class to 
whom we owe more gratitude than the self-sacrificing, noble-minded 
men whose life work is the alleviation of suffering and the minister- 
ing of comfort to the afflicted. Among the physicians and surgeons 
of Williams County who are proficient in their chosen calling and are 
conscientious workers in the sphere to which their life energies are 
being devoted, is Dr. William H. Steele, of Montpelier, who has been 
more than ordinarily successful in the treatment of disease and who 


234 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


is, therefore, held in high repute throughout this section of the state, 

William H. Steele was born in Macomb County, Michigan, on 
August 23, 1873, and is a son of August and Louisa (Gerlach) Steele. 
August Steele was born in Germany, where he was reared and edu- 
cated. At the age of twenty-six years he came to the United States, 
locating first at Detroit, Michigan. He was an artisan and subse- 
quently he went to Macomb County, where he spent the remainder 
of his days, his death occurring in 1897. He is survived by his widow, 
who is a native of this country and who is now living in Detroit. 
Mr. Steele was a democrat in his political views and he and his wife 
were members of the Episcopal Church. They were the parents of 
five children, three of whom are now living, namely: William H., 
the subject of this sketch; Carl, a carpenter in Detroit, Michigan, and 
Edward, of Mount Clemens, Michigan. 

William H. Steele was born on a farm, but when only three years 
old the family moved to Mount Clemens, and there he was reared and 
given the advantage of attendafice at school, completing his studies in 
the high school. Then, having decided to devote his life to the prac- 
tice of the healing art, he matriculated in the medical department of 
the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated 
in 1903, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He first located for 
the practice of his profession at Manistee, Michigan, where he 
remained until December 31, 1912, when he came to Montpelier, where 
he has since remained and where he has built up a large and repre- 
sentative patronage, covering a wide range of the surrounding coun- 
try. Doctor Steele has been very successful in the practice of medi- 
cine, being regarded as reliable, painstaking and duly conservative, 
three properties which always commend a physician. Doctor Steele 
is a member of the Williams County Medical Society, the Ohio State 
Medical Society and the Amefican Medical Association. During the 
World war, Doctor Steele enlisted in the Medical Corps of the United 
States Army, receiving a commission as first lieutenant, and on July 
13, 1918, was sent to the Base Hospital at Camp Sherman, Chilli- 
cothe, Ohio, where he remained a year, receiving an honorable dis- 
charge from the service on July 13, 1919. 

On Kebruary 9, 1902, Doctor Steele was married to Bertha A. 
Mead, who was educated in the public schools of Tecumseh, Mich- 
igan, and they are the parents of one son, William W., born on May 
18, 1904, and who is in attendance at the Montpelier High School. — 
The family attend the Presbyterian Church. The doctor is a member 
of the Free and Accepted Masons, at Montague, Michigan, and Mrs. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 2S 


Steele belongs to Lillian Chapter, No. 41, Order of the Eastern Star, 
of which she is the present conductress. The doctor has taken a deep 
interest in the welfare of the community in which he lives, especially 
in matters pertaining to education, and is at the present time vice 
president of the school board. By a life consistent in motive and 
because of his many fine qualities of head and heart he has earned 
the sincere regard of a vast acquaintance, and his success in his chosen 
field of endeavor bespeaks for him the possession of superior 
attributes. 


Ravpu L. BorpNeEr of Florence Township, four miles northeast of 
Edon, was born on a nearby farm in that community February 3, 
1886, and he has always lived in Williams County. He is a son of 
John E. and Catharine (Friend) Bordner. The father was born 
in Henry County while the mother is a native of Williams County. 
When they were married they settled in Florence Township and aside 
from six years in Superior Township they always lived there. Their 
children are: Cloyd Bordner, of Superior Township; Howard, of 
Florence; Ralph L., who enrolls the family in this history, and Ethel, 
wife of Sherman Willonshty. 

Ralph L. Bordner had common school advantages and remained 
at home with has parents until he was twenty-one, when he worked 
by the month and by the year for others. On November 6, 1909, he 
married Fern Hake, who was born December 12, 1889, in Florence 
Township. She is a daughter of John and Emma (Thompson) Hake, 
who had always lived in Williams County. The children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Bordner are: Cecil J., September 20, 1919; Lester D., June 
13, 1913, and Leeta L., December 10, 1915. Mrs. Bordner is a member 
of the Christian Church in the community. 

Mr. Borner is a general farmer with live stock and he owns a farm 
of eighty-seven acres in Florence. He votes with the democratic 
party, and is a member of the Edon Farmers’ Co-operative Association. 
He is among the progressive young farmers of Williams County. 


Witson Bratr.—The annals of pioneer settlement of Williams 
County give a prominent place to the Blair family, who came to this 
section of the northwestern Ohio wilderness nearly eighty-five years 
ago. The founder of the family was James Blair, who took up a 
tract of land from the Government in St. Joseph Township in 1836. 

He and his family had come to Williams County from Akron, 
Ohio, driving ox teams. He settled in the woods, and spent most 


236 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


of his active life here. In 1852 he drove across the plains to Cali- 
fornia, and remained in the mining districts of the Far West for 
some time. 

Wilson Blair is a son of Seth and Laura (Ball) Blair. His father 
owned sixty-five acres of the old Blair homestead, and has spent all 
his life in that locality. Wilson Blair was born on the homestead, 
was reared and educated in the district schools, and in July, 1895, mar- 
ried Grace Dunlap. She was born in Pulaski Township April 16, 
1873, and when ten years of age her parents moved to St. Joseph 
Township, where she completed her education in the district schools. 

After his marriage Wilson Blair remained for two years on the 
home farm and then rented and in 1902 bought the place where he 
now lives. This is known as the Spring Hill Farm, consisting of 
sixty-five acres and located two miles southwest of Edgerton. He has 
built the residence and has made many other improvements to give 
substantial value to the property. He is actively identified with the 
Farm Bureau and other co-operative organizations of farmers. 

Mr. and Mrs. Blair have three children: Eunice, wife of Paul 
Groff; Doris, aged eighteen; and Pauline a school girl. The family 
are members of the Christian Church and Mr. Blair is a republican. 
He served one term as township supervisor. 


Orrin H. Nrnart, M. D—The old families of Wiliams County 
that have stood strong and steady here for more than a half century 
include that of Nihart, and land on which its early representatives 
located as pioneers, is still in the family, a substantial part of it belong- 
ing to Dr. Orrin H. Nihart, a prominent citizen and able physician 
of Edon, Ohio. 

Doctor Nihart was born October 17, 1871, on his father’s farm in 
Center Township, Williams County, Ohio. His parents were Daniel 
P. and Alice (Gabriel) Nihart, the former of whom was born in 
Center Township, January 7, 1841, and the latter in Wayne County, 
Ohio, May 18, 1851. She accompanied her parents to Williams County 
in 1866 and was reared in Center Township and practically spent her 
entire life there afterward. Following their marriage Daniel P. Nihart 
and his wife located on a farm in the above township and for a num- 
ber of years he was in the live stock business, buying and shipping 
extensively. They had two sons born to them, Orrin H. and Charles. 
The father was somewhat active in republican politics but not as an 
office holder. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 237 


Orrin H. Nihart and his brother had excellent educational advan- 
tages. He taught school for two years before entering Valparaiso 
University, from which he was graduated in 1893 with the Bachelor 
of Science degree, and in 1894 received his Bachelor of Arts degree. 
Following this he spent two years in the medical department of the 
Western Reserve University, and in 1898 was graduated from Star- 
ling Medical College, Columbus, Ohio, with his medical degree, in 
the spring of the same year establishing himself at Edon where he 
has. continued and where his professional reputation reflects credit 
and entitles him to the public confidence and esteem which are his. 

In 1898 Doctor Nihart was united in marriage to Miss Lulu I. 
Ewan, a lady of many accomplishments. She was graduated from the 
high school at Bryan, later Angola College, Indiana, still later from the 
Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. For some time previous to 
her marriage she was engaged in teaching. Doctor and Mrs. Nihart 
have one daughter, Alitza, who was born August 21, 1903, and is a 
student in the high school at Edon, Ohio. 

Aside from his profession Doctor Nihart has important interests, 
political and otherwise, and some of these identify him with notable 
enterprises, included in which may be mentioned his estate of fifty 
acres in Texas, on which he raises cotton and corn, and his stock 
farm of 290 acres, situated in Center Township, Williams County. 
Here he breeds pure Holstein cattle and has the noted Pontiac Corn- 
dyke at the head of his herd. Doctor Nihart also owns much valuable 
realty at Edon, included in which is improved property in the business 
heart of the city. 

From early manhood Doctor Nihart has taken a vital interest in 
public affairs, deeming such a course the duty of every intelligent citi- 
zen. He served two years as county coroner, and in 1900 was elected to 
the state legislature, and served with distinction through the Seventy- 
fifth and Seventy-sixth sessions of the General Assembly, standing 
firmly on every question of public right. He is a man of liberal 
mind and of genial personality, but in faithfully caring for the many 
pressing duties of so busy a life, he finds little time for mere social 
relaxation, but he maintains his deep interest in the fraternities with 
which he has long been identified. He is a member of Edon Lodge, 
No. 474, Free and Accepted Masons; Cooney Lodge, Odd Fellows, at 
Cooney, Ohio, of which he is past noble grand and a member of the 
grand lodge. He is also a member of Edon Lodge, No. 644, Knights 
of Pythias, of which he is past chancellor and belongs to the grand 
_ lodge of this order. 


238 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


GrorcE Joice.—Shadyside, the farmstead owned by George Joice 
of Florence Township, is four miles northeast from Edon. Mr. Joice’s 
specialties as a breeder are registered Jersey cattle and Shropshire 
sheep. His telephone serves its purpose in advancing his business 
interests. He uses printed stationery, and the letterheads are an 
advertisement wherever his letters are sent in answer to inquiries or 
in search of patronage. The farmer who uses printed stationery 
simply follows business methods. 

George Joice .was born April 15, 1891, in Northwest Township 
and he is a son of William and Emma (Gloar) Joice. They were 
both born in Crawford County. The Joice ancestry came to Williams 
County in 1860, locating in Northwest Township and they have always 
lived there. In 1864 Emma Gloar came with her parents to the same 
community in Williams County. William and Emma (Gloar) Joice 
were married December 31, 1868, and they settled in Northwest Town- 
ship where they had lived for several years. Mr. Joice was a Civil 
War soldier, serving in Company H of the Forty-seventh Ohio Regi- 
ment. He remained from the time of his enlistment till the end of the 
war which was about fifteen months in the service. He was a member 
of Hiram Louden Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and republican 
in politics. He died April 6, 1908. His wife died April 6, 1919. 

The children in the Joice family numbered ten with eight of them 
living, A. D. 1920, as follows: Minnie, wife of John G. Boyer of 
Bridgewater Township; May, wife of Charles E. Kine of Northwest 
Township; Walter, a traveling salesman of Defiance; Harvey of 
Bridgewater; Roy of Angola, Indiana; Orrin of Bridgewater Town- 
ship; Orville lives in Northwest Township; George. Mr. Joice had 
common school education and remained at home until he was twenty- 
one years old. He then turned his attention to agriculture. 

On December 26, 1914, Mr. Joice married Velma Thompson. She 
was born and educated in Florence Township and graduated from the 
Edon High School. She was a teacher for three years. They have 
one child, Ramona L., born December 8, 1915. Mr. Joice is a member 
of the Edon Farmers’ Co-operative Association, and along with regis- 
tered live stock, he is an apiarist, producing honey and always having 
a market for it. Mr. Joice votes with the republican party. 


Tuomas S. Van FossEen.-—It has been the privilege of Thomas S. 
Van Fossen of Florence Township to always live on the farm where 
he was born, July 5, 1844, more than threescore and ten years, the 
allotted life of man, in one community. He is a son of William and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 239 


Mary A. (Sloss) Van Fossen, the father a native of Perry County, 
Pennsylvania, and the mother born in Ireland. She was fourteen years 
old when she came with her parents to the United States, and they 
settled in Detroit. She grew to womanhood in Detroit. 

Mr. and Mrs. William Van Fossen were married in Newark, Ohio, 
where he was working as a carpenter. They came to Williams County 
and entered the farm of eighty acres where their son, T. S. Van 
Fossen lives today. It was all in timber and they cleared a place for 
their cabin and made a farm of it. When they came, there were many 
Indians in the country, and the wild animals were thick in the woods of 
Northwestern Ohio. Mrs. Van Fossen was a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in the community. 

William Van Fossen served as justice of the peace in Williams 
County for thirty years. He was well posted on law and able to 
render accurate decisions in cases tried before him. For thirty-three 
years Mr. Van Fossen was local postmaster when the United States 
mail was carried by star route from Maumee, Ohio, to LaGrange, 
Indiana. Before the Civil war Mr. Van Fossen voted the democratic 
ticket, but since then he was a republican. His children are: Eliza- 
beth, deceased; John and William were both Civil war soldiers; 
Rachel, deceased; Thomas L.; Maggie, wife of Hugh Goshorn, and 
Jane, wife of Jacob Coldsnow. 

Thomas S. Van Fossen was educated in the common schools and 
in Professor Mycrantz’s school in Bryan. He was a teacher for 
twenty-two winter terms in Williams County. On February 4, 1865, 
when he was not yet twenty-one years old, Mr. Van Fossen enlisted 
in Company D of the One Hundred and Ninety-Fifth Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, receiving his discharge December 18, after eleven months 
in the service. He is a member of Hiram Louden Post, Grand Army 
of the Republic, of Montpelier. 

Mr. Van Fossen married Anna Clark March 22, 1885. She was 
born in Crawford County, August 14, 1846, and she came to Williams 
County in 1865. She was educated in the common school and in 
Bryan, and for twenty-seven years she was a school teacher in Wil- 
liams County. Mr. Van Fossen is past noble grand in Edon Lodge, 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he casts his ballot with the 
republicans. He now owns the farm of eighty acres which his father 
entered when he came to Williams County under President Van 
Buren’s administration. 


240 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


STEPHEN A. Powers, one of the organizers and cashier. of the 
Farmers Banking Company of Columbia, has spent all his active career 
in Northwest Township of Williams County, and was a successful 
general farmer before he took up banking. 

The Farmers Banking Company was organized and began busi- 
ness in April, 1917. The active officers are C. W. Johnson, president; 
Emery Bunce, vice president; Stephen A. Powers, cashier; and besides 
these the members of the board of directors are W. W. Chamberlain, 
A. E. Kaufman, H. S. Parrett, Charles A. Roode, A. R. Walker, C. L. 
Rigelman, Homer Peck, H. M. Lecker. 

Mr. Powers who is also a stockholder and director in the Farmers 
and Merchants State & Savings Bank in Montpelier, Williams County, 
was born on a farm near Columbia in Northwest Township, September 
13, 1878. His parents were Volney and Martha (Kimmell) Powers, 
the former born in York Township, Steuben County, Indiana, March 
17, 1838 and the latter in Richland County, Ohio, July 27, 1848. 
Volney Powers enlisted as.a Union soldier with a Michigan regiment, 
and at the expiration of his first term re-enlisted and was in the service 
at the close of the war. He was discharged with the rank of second 
lieutenant. He afterwards became a member of Hiram Lowden Post 
of the Grand Army. For many years he was a successful farmer in 
Williams County and was one of the founders of the Eagle Creek 
Presbyterian Church and one of its ruling elders. Politically he was 
a republican. There were eight children in the family: Ella, wife of 
Emery Bunce; Viola P., widow of Lee E. Amidon; Oliver of El Paso, 
Texas; Jennie P., wife of Henry Sines; Stephen A.; Vada P., wife 
of John A. Redfield; Clyde V., who is in the Philippine Islands; and 
Mary E., wife of Charles Brandon. | 

Stephen Powers grew up on his father’s farm, attending the com- 
mon schools, and after the age of twenty-one began farming. He 
owns a valuable place of 120 acres, and still gives it his active super- 
vision in connection with his duties at the bank. 

July 27, 1902, he married Ada J. Bunce. They have three chil- 
dren: Winn in the Edon High School; Weir in the first year of the 
high school at Edon; and Doris, a student in the common schools. 
The family are members of the West Eagle Creek Presbyterian 
Church and Mr. Powers is an elder, having taken the place of respon- ~ 
sibility so long held by his father in that organization. He is also 
affiliated with Montpelier Lodge, No. 547, of the Masons and with 
Metz Lodge, No. 411, of the Knights of Pythias. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 241 


Witiam D. Bratrten, who is one of the active and public spirited 
citizens of southwestern Williams County and whose country home is 
a mile and a quarter west of Edgerton, is a native of St. Joseph 
Township and the family name he bears has been prominent in that 
locality since earliest pioneer times. 

He is a grandson of John and Catharine (Upp) Bratten, natives of 
Pennsylvania. They were married at Sandusky, Ohio, and in 1836 
John Bratten investigated the northwestern Ohio country and entered 
a tract of land in St. Joseph Township of Williams County. Of that 
original entry William D. Bratten now owns sixty-four acres. In 
1837 John Bratten brought his family to Williams County with wagon 
and ox-team, and established his home in the midst of the heavy 
woods, clearing away a spot on which he erected his first log cabin. 
He spent the rest of his life in this locality, was an honored and influ- 
ential pioneer settler, and a member of the United Brethren Church. 
All of his five children are now deceased. 

The parents of William D. Bratten were John V. and Isabel 
(Shambaugh) Bratten. His father was born in St. Joseph Township 
July 7, 1842, and his boyhood was spent on the farm and in a locality 
where almost inevitably his educational opportunities were meager. 
He lived the life of a hard working farmer and died here. His widow 
is still living in her seventy-seventh year and is an active member 
of the Methodist Church at Edgerton. She has three children: Wil- 
liam D., Jessie, wife of R. J. Smith of Edgerton; and George E., a 
dentist at Cincinnati, Ohio. 

William D. Bratten was born in St. Joseph Township January 
19, 1868, and acquired a district school education. After the age of 
twenty-one he rented his father’s farm for about twenty years. He 
has been a good farm manager, also a keen business man, and has 
bought, developed and sold a number of farm properties in this section. 

In 1891 he married Bertie Geiger, daughter of Jacob and Medora 
Geiger. She was educated in the public schools of Williams County. 
They have two children: Roscoe, a graduate of the high schools of 
Edgerton and Bryan and now a dentist at Galion, Ohio; and Florence, 
who graduated from the Bryan High School and is now a student in 
the Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana. The son Roscoe has a 
military record, having enlisted with the Eleventh Railway Engineers, 
and spent twenty-two months in France, sharing in the glorious 
achievements of the Railway Engineers. He rose from first lieutenant 
to the rank of captain. Mr. W. D. Bratten has always been an active 
factor in the republican party in his community. 

Vol. II—16 ! 


242 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


FRANK J. KELLER—The ownership of the Pleasant View Farm 
in St. Joseph Township constitutes a competence which would satisfy 
the man of ordinary ambition. In the case of Frank J. Keller his pro- 
prietorship of this farm is the product of his own energies and labors 
carried on through a period of over thirty years, since he leit home 
to take up the battles of life on his own account. 

The Pleasant View Farm comprises seventy-seven acres and is 
located two and a half miles west of Edgerton. 

Mr. Keller was born in Stark County, Ohio, March 26, 1860, son 
of Daniel and Caroline (Piffer) Keller. When he was nine days old 
his mother died, and he was her only child. He then lived with his 
grandmother until his father married again and after that lived with 
his father and stepmother. Mr. Keller was at home until the age of 
twenty-three, and in the intervals of schooling worked out at monthly 
wages. 

December 2, 1888, he married Ida Garber, who was born in Troy 
Township, Dekalb County, Indiana, August 16, 1868, a daughter of 
William and Lydia (Eberly) Garber. Her parents were born and 
married in Pennsylvania and were early settlers in Dekalb County, 
Indiana, where they spent the rest of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Keller 
began their married life in Wilmington Township, Dekalb County, but 
in the spring of 1902 moved to Williams County and located on their 
present farm in St. Joseph Township. Mr. Keller also owns eighty 
acres of another farm, so that his land ownership includes 157 acres. 
He handles his land to general crops and considerable live stock. 

Mr. and Mrs. Keller have two children: Dessie, a graduate of the 
Edgerton High School, was a successful teacher in Williams County 
for six terms and is now the wife of Williams Weber of St. Joseph 
Township; and Glenn L. who married Wanda Groff and is-the father 
of a son, Leroy G. Keller, born April 1, 1918. Mr. Keller is affiliated. 
with Edgerton Lodge, No. 465, of the Knights of Pythias, and polit- 
ically. is a republican. 


CuarLes W. THompson.—Since he was eight years old, the home 
of Charles. W. Thompson has been in Florence Township where he 
‘lives today. He lives three miles northeast.of Edon. He was born 
July 4, 1864, in Northwest Township. He is a son of George and 
Catharine (Smell) Thompson, the father a native of Trumbull County 
and the mother from Germany. When she was a child ‘three years 
old, her parents came to the United States and settled in Williams 
County. They located in Northwest Township and ended their days 
there. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 243 


When the Thompson family came to Williams County they lived 
some years near Pulaski and then they moved to Northwest Town- 
ship where George Thompson was married and after a few years he 
removed to Florence Township. They bought the farm in 1872 that 
is now owned by C. W. Thompson. They were members of the Chris- 
tian Union Church, and George Thompson cast his vote with the 
democrats. His children are: Charles W. Thompson who repeats 
the family history; Emma, the wife of John Hake of Florence Town- 
ship; Lilly, the wife of Charles Kent; Claude of Jonesville, Michigan ; 
Curtis of Edon; Cora, wife of Harl Oberlander and John C. of 
Florence Township. 

On October 24, 1885, C. W. Thompson married Sarah Hake, who 

was born March 1, 1866, in Fulton County. She is a daughter of 
John H. and Lucy (Betz) Hake, who had come from eastern Ohio 
to Fulton County and later to Florence Township in Williams County. 
When Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were married they lived for two 
years on a farm at Jackson, Michigan, when they returned to the 
Thompson family homestead in Florence, renting the land until 1905, 
when they bought it. Their daughter, Velma, graduated from the 
Edon High School and was a teacher for three years. She is now 
the wife of George Joice of Shadyside Farm. Willis Thompson is 
also a graduate of the Edon High School. The family are members 
of the Christian Union Church in the community. 

Mr. Thompson is a member of the Farmers’ Co-operative Associa- 
tion and is interested in all welfare organizations among the farmers of 
Williams County. He owns a farm of eighty acres and makes it 
profitable. He is a democrat and active in the affairs of the party. 


Tuomas B. Matruews, who lives on a farm five miles northeast 
from Edon in Florence Township, has always lived in one community. 
He is a son of C. W. and Lucinda (Cain) Matthews, and was born 
there November 23, 1865; the father, a Canadian, born in Toronto, 
while the mother is a native of Williams County. When C. W. 
Matthews was only one year old the family came from Toronto to 
Florence Township, and he knew nothing about any other country. 
Mr. and Mrs. Matthews married and lived many years on this farm 
in Florence Township before they went to Montpelier to end their 
days. He died February 4, 1916, and she still lives in Montpelier. 

Although Canadian born C. W. Matthews served eighteen months 
as a soldier in the Civil war, and he was wounded in the battle of 
Spottsylvania Courthouse. For many years he had been an active 


244 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


member of Gen. Hiram Louden Grand Army of the Republic Post in 
Montpelier. He always voted with the democrats. There were three 
children in his family. They are: Thomas B. Matthews, who enrolls 
the family in the annals of Williams County; Wesley C., of Florence 
Township, and DeLora, the wife of E. C. McCamis. They all had 
the educational advantages of the time in Williams County. 

On July 15, 1889, T. B. Matthews married Emma Knapp, who was 
born in Northwest Township, and always lived in Williams County. 
They have five children, and three sons have inherited the military 
spirit of their grandfather and enlisted in overseas service in the World 
war. All are musicians and all served in musical organizations “some- 
where in France.” John was a member of the band with the Sixteenth 
Infantry and First Brigade, and did service both in France and Ger- 
many. Ben F. Matthews was the first volunteer soldier from Flor- 
ence Township, and after being discharged he re-enlisted and his sec- 
ond enlistment of one year ended March 4, 1920. He was sergeant in 
the One Hundred and Forty-Sixth Infantry and DeLeon M. Matthews 
was in the Three Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Infantry band, and all 
were overseas several months. Nelson B. Matthews is a musician in 
Jackson, Michigan, and Charles is at home with the parents. 

In his younger days T. B. Matthews taught piano and violin music, 
and the sons all had musical advantages as well as ability to master 
music. For many years Mr. Matthews was leader of the Berlin Band 
in Florence Township, having mastered music himself by study and 
application to it. The Matthews family have furnished music on pro- 
grams frequently. Mr. Matthews votes the democratic ticket. He 
owns a farm of eighty acres and is a member of Sodom Grange. He 
is interested in all organizations designed to advance the welfare of 
the farming community. 


SAMUEL J. KIssINGER, proprietor of the Maple Lawn Farm three 
miles north of Edgerton, has a record as a farmer, business man and 
public official that is in keeping with the high standing of the Kissinger 
family which became identified with Williams County in pioneer times 
and has furnished several worthy citizens to the community. 

Mr. Kissinger was born in Stark County, Ohio, near Canton, Janu- 
ary 25, 1846, a son of John and Mary (Cassler) Kissinger. His 
parents were natives of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and a few 
years after their marriage moved to Stark County, Ohio, and in 1852 
invaded the wilderness of Williams County. They acquired the land, 
then covered with dense woods, where their son Samuel still lives, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 245 


and that farm has been under the continuous management and owner- 
ship of the Kissinger family for nearly seventy years. John Kissinger 
was well equipped for pioneering, exercised a good influence in the 
development of the county, was an elder in the Lutheran Church and 
a democrat in. politics. 

Samuel J. Kissinger is the only survivor of six children, namely: 
Annie, Maria, Rosana, Barbara, Henry and Samuel, the youngest of 
the family. He was six years of age when brought to Williams County 
and his personal recollection goes back to many pioneer scenes and 
personalities. He grew up on the home estate, attended such schools 
as were in existence at that time, and on September 22, 1869, married 
Caroline Richard. She was born in Stark County, Ohio, December 
2, 1848, daughter of John and Wilhelmina (Ehret) Richard; the 
former a native of Alsace and the latter of Germany. They were 
married in Ohio and were also early settlers of Williams County, 
locating in St. Joseph Township in 1851. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kissinger after their marriage located on the old 
Kissinger farm and later he became its owner. For many years he has 
cultivated this place, comprising eighty-eight acres and the farm shows 
the results of continuous ownership and operation by one family 
through so many years. 

Mr. Kissinger has been identified with various movements for the 
welfare of farmers and the community in general. He is a member 
of the Farm Bureau, and has served as president of the Williams 
County Agricultural Society three years, and as a director of that 
organization for seventeen years. He has been township trustee, and 
for two terms was land appraiser. Politically he is a democrat. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kissinger have two children: Estella, born October 
10, 1871, wife of Charles Goeltzenleuchter, and Clarence E., born 
February 23, 1875, who married Pearl Suffel and lives on the home 
farm with his father. 


Cuartes A. Dietscu has been identified with the farming com- 
munity of St. Joseph Township for over forty years, has been an 
active factor therein the greater part of that time, and his interests 
have extended beyond the management of his own acres and his home 
to various community and commercial enterprises. Y 

Mr. Dietsch, whose rural home is three miles north and one mile 
east of Edgerton near the Denmark bridge, was born in Milford Town- 
ship, Defiance County, Ohio, January 17, 1864. His parents, Frank 
A. and Mary (Troffer) Dietsch, were natives of Alsace, France, where 


246 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


his father was born in 1824. They came to this country when young, 
were married in Ohio, and after living on a farm for a number of 
years in Milford Township of Defiance County, they moved to Wil- 
liams County in 1879. The farm in St. Joseph Township where they 
spent the rest of their lives is the present home of their son, Charles A. 
The parents were members of the Catholic Church at Edgerton and 
the father was a democrat. There were seven children in the family: 
Josephine, widow of John Hams; Henry, of Edgerton; Louise, wife 
of Eck Long; Caroline, wife of Peter Goble; Anna, deceased ; Charles 
A.; and Dora, wife of Lawrence Cape, of St. Joseph Township. 

Charles A. Dietsch was sixteen years of age when he came to 
Williams County, and completed his education began in Defiance 
County in the schools of St. Joseph Township. 

February 12, 1895, Mr. Deitsch married Clara C. Crisman. She 
was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, April 5, 1861, daughter of 
Benjamin and Elizabeth (Yanney) Crisman, both natives of Tus- 
carawas County. Her parents were members of the Methodist Church. 
Mrs. Dietsch was educated in the common schools and was brought to 
Williams County by her parents at the age of twelve years. Mr. and 
Mrs. Dietsch have three children: Eva L., Leo H. and B. Franklin. 
The two older are at home, while Franklin is a student of agriculture 
at the Michigan Agricultural College at Lansing. The family are 
members of the Catholic Church and the sons belong to the Knights 
of Columbus at Edgerton. 

Mr. Dietsch is an influential democrat, a member of the county 
executive committee representing St. Joseph Township. His home 
farm, where he has lived for over forty years, consists of 160 acres 
and he also has another place of 130 acres. He is a stockholder and 
director in the Edgerton State Banking Company. 


DanieL W. McGiLit.—One of the best known citizens of Mont- 
pelier is the gentleman whose name forms the caption to this paragraph, 
a man who has succeeded in his life work because he has been persist- 
ent and energetic in his efforts and honorable in his dealings with the 
public, and he has therefore enjoyed the confidence and good will of 
all. Mr. McGill is a native son of the Buckeye State, having been born 
at Orville, Ohio, on October 20, 1868, and he is a son of Henry and 
Julia (Haverstock) McGill, the former of whom was a native of New 
York state, while the latter was born at Mount Eaton, Ohio, and is 
now living in Montpelier. They became the parents of three children. 
The subject’s mother came to Williams County in about 1880 and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 247 


located in Montpelier in 1890. Daniel W. McGill accompanied his 
mother on her removal to this county in 1880 and thereafter made his 
home with W. S. Boone. He secured a good practical education in 
the public schools, and then obtained employment in the Boone sawmill, 
where he remained about three years. At the end of that time he went 
to Montana, but three years later he returned to Williams County, 
remaining here for a short time. He then became manager of a saw- 
mill at Seneca, Michigan, and two years later moved the mill to 
Ashley, Steuben County, Indiana, where he became a partner in its 
ownership, under the name of D. W. McGill & Company. He remained 
there until the fall of 1899, when he sold his interests and, returning 
to Williams County, bought a farm located northwest of Montpelier. 
After operating this farm for six years, he sold the place and went to 
Oregon, where he homesteaded a farm and remained about five years. 
Again he returned to Ohio and located at Leipsic, where for about 
eighteen months he operated a lumber yard, but sold out there and, 
coming back to Williams County, was employed at farm work by 
W. S. Boone. 

On June 2, 1896, Mr. McGill was married to Mary E. Henry, who 
was born and reared in Williams County, and they are the parents of 
a son, William H., who is now connected with the Goodrich Tire and 
Rubber Company at Akron, Ohio. Politically, Mr. McGill is a stanch 
supporter of the republican party and has taken a very active part in 
local public affairs. He served four years as a member of the village 
council and then became mayor of Montpelier, serving three months 
in 1917 and again in 1919 up to January 1, 1920. Fraternally, he is 
a member of Montpelier Lodge No. 547, Free and Accepted Masons, 
in addition to which he also belongs to the Chapter of Royal Arch 
Masons and the Council of Royal and Select Masters, and he and his 
wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Their religious 
membership is with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Whatever of 
success Mr. McGill has attained has been entirely owing to his indi- 
vidual efforts, his energy and natural ability, and he has so lived that 
all who have come into contact with him appreciate the excellent 
qualities of his character. 


Hiram McKetvey—lIn proportion to its population, Williams 
County has as great a number of substantial and intelligent agricul- 
turists as any county of its size in Ohio, and among this number is 
Hiram McKelvey, the owner of a farm of excellently cultivated land 
lying five miles west of Bryan, in Center Township. Mr. McKelvey 


248 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


has operated this property with such judgment as to have made him, 
financially, a substantial and successful man, while the position which 
he occupies high in the esteem of the community has been gained 
through years of strict adherence to principles of integrity and probity. 

Mr. McKelvey was born in Portage County, Ohio, on February 
7, 1850, a son of S. B. and Jeanette (Byers) McKelvey. His grand- 
father, William McKelvey, was born in Ireland, whence he came to 
the United States with his parents as a lad of five years, the family 
settling in Portage County, Ohio, where the lad grew to manhood and 
the man engaged in farming throughout the active years of his life. 
S. B. McKelvey was born in Portage County, and there met and mar- 
. tied Jeanette Byers, who had been born in Mahoning County, this 
state. Following their union they resided for a time in Portage 
County, but in 1851 came to Williams County and settled on a farm 
located in section 9, Center Township, the 160 acres being located in 
the woods. Here the parents spent the remainder of their lives, clear- 
ing their land, establishing a home, adding improvements and comforts 
and finally developing a paying and attractive property with many con- 
veniences. S. B. McKelvey was an interested member of the Grange, 
in the work of which he took an active part and served as a delegate 
to the State Grange. For many years he acted as justice of the peace 
in his community, where he was a man of marked influence and stand- 
ing and where he was greatly esteemed by those who recognized and 
appreciated his many sterling traits of character. In his family there 
were nine children, of whom but two are now living, Hiram and 
Lowell, of Montpelier, Ohio. 

Hiram McKelvey has passed almost his entire life in Center Town- 
ship. After attending the district schools he started assisting his father 
in the work of the home acres and remained under the parental roof 
until his marriage, February 14, 1871, to Miss Catherine Baker, who 
was born in Wayne County, Ohio, September 19, 1850, and came to 
Williams County in 1863, the family settling in Center Township, 
where she secured a public school education, later attending Williams 
Central Academy. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. McKelvey 
settled on the farm which they now occupy, in Center Township, a 
tract of eighty acres on which Mr. McKelvey is engaged in farming 
and raising stock. He has made an unqualified success of his opera- 
tions, and is justly numbered among those whose personal efforts 
have won them independence and position. Mr. McKelvey is a demo- 
crat in politics and has served three years as a member of the board of 
trustees of Center Township. He and Mrs. McKelvey are members 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 249 


of Center Grange, at Melbern, and Mr. McKelvey is past master 
thereof and has been a delegate to the State Grange. 

Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McKelvey, of whom 
six are living: Della, the widow of John Hesrick, of Bryan; Clara, 
the wife of Ed Yackee, residing on a farm on section 16, Center 
Township; Lydia, the wife of Isaac Kerr, of Bryan; Jeannette, the 
wife of Loren Young, of Bryan; Clee, a resident of Bryan; and Mark, 
residing at home, who spent about seven months at Camp Sherman 
during the recent war period. 


Joun H. Nrwart.—tThere is a large elevator business done at 
Melbern, Ohio, and prominent in this line of business is the firm of 
Nihart & Fix. John H. Nihart of the above firm belongs to a well 
known old family of Williams County, and was born in Center Town- 
ship, April 23, 1877. His parents were John and Martha (Carnes) 
Nihart, whose other surviving children are as follows: William A., a 
farmer in Center Township; Jessie, wife of Houston Childers, of 
Oklahoma ; Mary, wife of William Holden, of Indiana; Theodore, a 
farmer in Missouri; George, a farmer in St. Joseph Township, Wil- 
liams County; Anna, wife of Ernest Wines, of Waterloo, Indiana; 
Emma, a resident of Waterloo; and Walter K., a physician and 
surgeon of Edgerton, Ohio. 

John Nihart, father of John H., was born in Holmes County, 

Ohio, a son of Jacob and Anna M. Nihart, who moved to Williams 
County in his youth, settling in Center Township, and spent the rest of 
their lives there as farming people. After his marriage to Martha 
Carnes, who at that time lived with her parents in St. Joseph Town- 
ship, he settled at Edgerton, the Carnes family later moving to Kansas, 
where the parents died. John Nihart was first engaged in a sawmill 
business, then was a clerk in a store and afterward was a farmer in 
Center Township and died on the farm now owned by his son William 
A. Nihart. John Nihart was a republican in his political sentiments, 
and both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 
John N. Nihart obtained his education in the public schools and 
assisted his father on the home farm, remaining at home until his 
father’s death. He owns forty-six acres of valuable land in Center 
Township. After coming to Melbern he went into the elevator 
business, at which he worked ten years before he and his partner, 
Mr. Fix, put up their elevators in January, 1918, this large out- 
lay being justified on account of their constantly expanding business. 
Mr. Nihart is widely known as a careful, reliable business man. 


250 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


On December 26, 1908, Mr. Nihart was married to Miss Ethel 
Dean, who was born in Defiance County, Ohio, and they have one son, 
John D., who was born January 26, 1916. Mr. Nihart has always 
. been sound in his republicanism but has never consented to hold a 
public office. He belongs to Fountain City Lodge No. 314, Odd Fel- 
lows, and also to the order of American Yeomen. 


Wiiiam A. Nrwart, who is a substantial farmer of Williams » 
County, resides on section 18, Center Township, where he owns eighty 
acres of the old homestead farm. He was born at Edgerton, Ohio, 
August 11, 1862, the eldest of ten children born to John and Martha 
(Carnes) Nihart, and a brother of John H. Nihart, of the firm of 
Nihart & Fix, in the elevator business at Melbern, Ohio. 

William A. Nihart attended the public schools, remained at home 
assisting his father, and has always followed farm pursuits and with 
very satisfactory results. He is one of the progressive men of Center 
Township and carries on his agricultural industries according to 
modern methods. 

On December 22, 1887, Mr. Nihart was married to Miss Hannah 
Suffle, who was born in St. Joseph Township, Williams County, Ohio, 
April 23, 1868. Her parents were Peter and Sarah (Geoltzenleuchter ) 
Suffle, who were born in Bavaria, Germany. They came to the United 
States in 1837, settling first in Stark County, Ohio, and moving to 
Williams County in 1844, where they died. Of their eleven children 
the following are living: Julia, Solomon, William, Sarah, Emanuel, 
Hannah, Hattie, Benjamin and Peter. Three children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Nihart, namely: Emma and John W., both of whom 
died in infancy, and Mildred, who was born March 8, 1909. She is 
attending school and is bright and studious. Mr. Nihart and his family 
belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Melbern. He is past 
noble grand of Edgerton Lodge of Odd Fellows and both he and his 
wife are members of the Order of Rebekah, of which Mrs. Nihart 
is past noble grand, while he belongs also to the Order of American 
Yeomen. The Nihart family has always been hearty in its support of 
the republican party but have never been office-seekers, although 
Mr. Nihart, because of his interest in educational matters, has served 
as school director and has also been trustee of Center Township. 


M. C. McGuire.—An eminently useful and highly esteemed citizen 
of Edgerton, prominent and influential in public affairs, M. C. McGuire 
is one of the best known men in this section of Williams County, his 
position as agent for the New York Central Railroad Company having 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 251 


brought him in contact with people of all classes, and his unfailing 
courtesy, prompt attention and willingness to accommodate his patrons 
have made him a favorite with the general public. He was born 
January 1, 1852, in Dover, New Hampshire, where the days of his 
early childhood were passed. 

Martin McGuire, his father, was born, bred and married in Ireland. 
Immigrating with his bride to the United States in 1851, he first 
located in New England, living for a few years in New Hampshire. 
Coming from there to Ohio, he spent a short time in Wooster, where 
he obtained work as a section hand on the railroad. Moving to Wil- 
liams County in 1856, both he and his wife resided here during their 
remaining years. He was a democrat in politics, and both he and his 
wife belonged to the Catholic Church. Of their four children, Ne, 
the subject of this brief sketch, is the only survivor. 

A child when he came with his parents to Williams County, M. C. 
McGuire attended the public schools until thirteen years old, when 
he entered the employ of the railroad company. Subsequently learn- 
ing telegraphy, Mr. McGuire continued as a railroad man and has been 
in the service fifty-four consecutive years, fifty years of the time hav- 
ing been spent in Edgerton, his long tenure of office bearing visible 
evidence of his efficiency, integrity and trustworthiness. Mr. McGuire 
owns a farm of 118 acres, and on it makes his home. 

Mr. McGuire married Clarissa Thornburg, and of their union three 
children have been born, namely: Sylvia, a graduate of the Edgerton 
High School, is ticket agent at Bryan; Mertie, deceased; and Agnes, 
living at home. An unswerving democrat in politics, Mr. McGuire is 
active and influential in public affairs, having served as mayor of the 
city three terms of two years each; as a school director for twenty 
years, and as a member of the city council. Fraternally he is a mem- 
ber of Edgerton Lodge No. 357, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 

Mr. McGuire conducted a school of telegraphy at Edgerton from 
1870 to 1912, during which period he taught more than nine hundred 
the profession. 


Davip T. Kiess—An enumeration of those men of the present 
generation who have won honor and success for themselves, and at the 
same time by,their lives have honored the locality to which they belong, 
would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of the one 
whose name forms the caption to this sketch. He has sustained a very 
enviable reputation in business circles and today is numbered among 
the progressive and enterprising citizens of Montpelier. David T. 
Kiess was born at Edon, Williams County, on August 3, 1867, and is 


252 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


a son of Samuel and Sarah (Burkhart) Kiess, both of whom were 
born and reared near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They came to 
Williams County, Ohio, with their respective parents and here met and 
were married. After their marriage they located in Edon, where 
Mr. Kiess engaged in the boot and shoe business, having been a shoe- 
maker by trade. Some time later he sold this business and for a time 
was engaged in farming. Later in life they went West, locating in 
Nebraska, where their deaths occurred. They were the parents of 
five children, three of whom are now living, namely: D. W., a con- 
tractor in Los Angeles, California; David T., the subject of this 
sketch; and Lizzie, the wife of Ora Eyster, a farmer in Williams 
County. ae 

David T. Kiess received his education in the district schools of 
Williams County and in Nebraska. He then entered the Chicago 
Horological School and the Chicago Opthalmic School, where he was 
graduated in 1893. He then was employed as jeweler and optician at 
various places for fifteen years, but then located at Edon, where he 
engaged in the jewelry business, in which he met with good success. 
In 1914 Mr. Kiess came to Montpelier and opened a jewelry and 
optical goods store, to which he has given his personal attention, 
though he also still operates the store at Edon. Thoroughly qualified 
by training and experience both as a jeweler and optician, Mr. Kiess 
has met with a well-deserved prosperity and is considered a thoroughly 
reliable and trustworthy man in every respect, and that is as much as 
can be said of the best of men. 

Mr. Kiess was married to Bertha L. Twichell, of Orland, Indiana, 
but who was born in Steuben County, Indiana. She received a good 
education, being a high school graduate, and prior to her marriage she 
was engaged as a school teacher. To this union have been born five 
children, namely: Reginald, who is a graduate of the Montpelier High 
School; Kenneth, Elinore, Esther and Robert, who are in school. 

Mr. Kiess and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and, politically, he gives his support to the republican party, 
having served seven years as treasurer of Edon Village. Fraternally 
he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has 
taken the degrees of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council. He and his 
wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Among those 
who know him best, Mr. Kiess bears a reputation of a man of sound 
judgment, good business ability and an expert in his special lines of 
effort. He has pronounced views, keeping himself well informed on 
all matters pertaining to the public welfare, and because of his genial 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 253 


disposition and excellent qualities of character he enjoys the confidence 
and good will of all who know him. 


Wiiam C. HELter.—This biographical memoir has to do with a 
character of unusual force and eminence, for William C. Heller, whose 
life chapter has been closed by the fate that awaits all mankind, was 
for a number of years one of the prominent and influential citizens 
of Montpelier, although he was summoned to close his earthly accounts 
while still in the zenith of his power. While he carried on a special 
line of business in such a manner as to gain a comfortable com- 
petence for himself, he also belonged to that class of representative 
men of affairs who promote the public welfare while advancing 
individual success. There were in him sterling traits which com- 
manded uniform confidence and regard, and his memory is today 
honored by all and is enshrined in the hearts of his many friends. 

William C. Heller, who at the time of his death, on December 19, 
1919, was president of the W. C. Heller Company, one of the most 
important manufacturing concerns of Montpelier, was born in Newark, 
New Jersey, on August 27, 1872. After completing his elemental 
education in the public schools, he became a student in the Coleman 
Business College, where he gained a good preparation for a business 
career. His first employment was in his father’s hardware store as a 
salesman, and it was while thus employed that he observed needed 
- improvements in hardware shelving and other store furniture. His 
business shrewdness was evidenced here when he embarked in the 
manufacture of hardware furniture, for it was a field entirely unoccu- 
pied, and he soon was in command of an important and rapidly grow- 
ing business in that line. Finally, the W. C. Heller Company was 
organized in 1891, under the laws of New Jersey, for the manufacture 
of hardware store fixtures and sectional cabinets, to take care of 
automobile accessories, parts, etc., the factory being at that time located 
at Montclair, New Jersey. The official personnel of the corporation 
at present (1919) is as follows: W. C. Heller, president; E. S. Taylor, 
vice president; J. B. Heller, secretary, and E. G. Heller, treasurer; 
these gentlemen also comprising the directorate. Early in 1906 Mont- 
pelier extended to Mr. Heller an invitation to move his plant to this 
village and in May of that year the change was effected. After locat- 
ing here the factory turned out its products in enormous quantities, 
and the product is known practically all over the world, shipments 
being made to foreign countries as well as throughout the United 
States. Mr. Heller’s manner of conducting his business quickly won 


254 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


for him not only the confidence of thousands of satisfied customers, 
but also the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens of Montpelier. 
Immediately upon coming to Montpelier Mr. Heller entered into the 
_ business and civic life of the community in a whole-hearted and 
public-spirited manner and from that time until his death he was 
considered one of the foremost figures in the commercial life of the 
village. He always took a very active part in any movement which 
had for its object the betterment of Montpelier and he had become 
identified with several local institutions, wherein his influence for 
progress carried much weight. He was a member of the directorate 
and vice president of the Farmers and Merchants State and Savings 
Bank of Montpelier. 

On May 27, 1896, at Astoria, New York, Mr. Heller married Miss 
Evva Bamber, of Astoria. To Mr. and Mrs. Heller were born four 
children, as follows: John B., a graduate of the Montpelier High 
School and secretary of the W. C. Heller Company, is a member of 
the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained the degrees 
of the Council, he is a Knight of Pythias, of which he is past chan- 
cellor commander; Leroy S. is a graduate of the Montpelier High 
School, and now assistant foreman in the W. C. Heller Company’s 
plant; Ruth is attending high school, and Louise is a student in the 
_ public school. 

Politically, Mr. Heller was a lifelong supporter of the democratic 
party and took an active part in advancing its interests. He was 
vitally interested in the cause of education and rendered most efficient 
and appreciated service as a member of the village school board for 
eleven years. Fraternally, he was a member of the Free and 
Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks. A member of the Presbyterian Church, he 
gave hearty and liberal support to that society, of which he was a 
trustee, and he was also a life member of the American Red Cross 
Society. Strong and forceful in his relations with his fellowmen, 
Mr. Heller not only made his presence felt, but also gained the good 
will and commendation of both his associates and the general public, 
ever retaining his reputation among men for integrity and high char- 
acter, no matter how trying the circumstances, and never losing that 
dignity which is the birthright of the model gentleman. Consequently 
his influence for good was potent and he will long be missed from the 
circles in which he moved and over which his influence was like sun- 
shine on a field of ripened grain. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 255 


E. S. Taytor, vice president and, since the death of W. C.: Heller, 
acting president of the W. C. Heller Company, is one of the com- 
munity’s useful and esteemed men. His business career has brought 
him before the public in such a way as to gain him confidence. Tire- 
less energy and honesty of purpose are among his most prominent 
‘characteristics and, while advancing individual success, he has also 
borne his share of the burden of the civic life of the community. 

E. S. Taylor is a native son of New York State, where he received 
his education in the public schools. His first employment was in a 
drug store, where he remained six years. At the end of that time he 
went to work for the Western Electric Company in New York, with 
whom he was identified until 1906, when he came to Montpelier and 
became associated with the late William C. Heller, who had just moved 
his manufacturing plant from Montclair, New Jersey, Mr. Taylor 
becoming secretary and treasurer of the corporation and subsequently 
being advanced to the office of vice president. He is a man of excel- 
lent business qualifications and has ably carried forward the work so 
well established by Mr. Heller. 

Politically, Mr. Taylor gives his support to the republican party 
and his religious membership is with the Baptist Church. Fraternally, 
he belongs to Montpelier Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of which 
he is a past master; to the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; the Council 
of Royal and Select Masters, and to Defiance Commandery No. 30, 
Knights Templar; Toledo Consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scot- 
tish Rite (thirty-second degree) and to Ararat Temple, Ancient 
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Kansas City, Mis- 
souri. Personally, Mr. Taylor is genial and unassuming and since 
coming to Montpelier has won a host of warm and loyal personal 
friends who esteem him for his genuine worth. 


Henry Dietscu.—Inheriting the habits of industry, perseverance 
and thrift that invariably win success in the business world, Henry 
Dietsch, proprietor of the Edgerton Milling Company, holds an assured 
position among the active and valued citizens of Edgerton, Williams 
County, and has the distinction of having been the first person to 
subscribe for stock in the Edgerton State Banking Company, which he 
has served as vice president and director; he has also been a director 
in the Oak Manufacturing Company, of Edgerton. A son of the late 
F. A. Dietsch, he was born January 22, 1857, in Milford Township, 
Defiance County, Ohio, of French ancestry. 


256 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Born, bred and educated in Alsace-Lorraine, France, F. A. Dietsch 
immigrated to the United States in early manhood, and having made 
his way to Ohio located in Milford Township, Defiance County, where 
he carried on general farming for a while. Moving from there to 
Williams County, he bought land in St. Joseph Township, and on the 
farm which he improved spent the remainder of his years. He mar- © 
ried Mrs. Mary Troffter, who was born, reared and married in Alsace- 
Lorraine, France, and subsequently came with her husband to Ohio, 
where she died. She subsequently married for her second husband 
F. A. Dietsch, and they became the parents of the following named 
children: Josephine, wife of John Harris, of DeKalb County, Indiana; 
Henry, with whom this sketch is chiefly concerned; Louise, widow of 
Ech Long; Caroline, wife of Peter Goble; C. A., of St. Joseph Town- 
ship, Williams County; and Dora, wife of L. C. Cape, of Defiance 
County, Ohio. The mother died in Edgerton, having survived her 
husband. 

Educated in the district schools, and reared to agricultural pursuits, 
Henry Dietsch remained on the parental homestead in St. Joseph 
Township until 1900, having full charge of its management for many 
years, and finally succeeding to its ownership. Purchasing another 
farm in that year, he managed it successfully seven years. Locating 
in Edgerton in 1907, Mr. Dietsch built the mill he now owns and 
operates, and as head of the Edgerton Milling Company has since 
carried on an extensive and profitable business. He has also other 
interests of value, owning 190 acres of good farming land in Defiance 
County, and 133 acres in Williams County, both of which yield him 
good annual incomes. 

Mr. Dietsch married, at the age of twenty-five years, Josephine 
Williams, and to them three children have been born, namely: Oscar 
C., a miller by trade; Lionel, engaged in farming in Defiance County; 
and Ursula, who married Otis Miller, of St. Joseph Township, and has 
a fine family, consisting of one girl and one boy. Mr. and Mrs. Dietsch 
are faithful members of the Catholic Church, and Mr. Dietsch belongs 
to the Knights of Columbus and is the grandfather of ten children. 


C. J. Bouner—Williams County, Ohio, enjoys a splendid repu- 
tation because of the high order of her citizenship, and none of her 
citizens enjoys a more enviable position in the esteem of his fellows 
than the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch. 
A residence here of many years has given his fellows a full oppor- 
tunity to observe him in the various lines of activity in which he has 


——— = 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 257 


been engaged and his present high standing is due solely to the honor- 
able and upright course he has pursued. As a leading citizen of his 
community he is eminently entitled to representation in a work of this 
character. 

C. J. Bohner, of the firm of Bohner & Hause, retail shoe dealers at 
Montpelier, was born in Michigan, about three miles north of Pioneer, 
Ohio, on May 13, 1874, and is the son of Z. and Elizabeth (Wheeler) 
Bohner, the latter of whom was born near Penrose, Ohio. Z. Bohner 
was born in Pennsylvania and came to Ohio with his parents, settling 
in Williams County, where he was reared and educated. He was mar- 
ried here and afterwards moved to Michigan, where he remained until 
1878, when they returned to Williams County, settling on a farm in 
Mill Creek Township. Subsequently he moved to Steuben County, 
Indiana, where he was employed in Chadwick & Company’s retail 
store. Later he returned to Montpelier, where he was employed in 
a lumber yard and sawmill, but finally located in Hudson, Steuben 
County, Indiana, where he now resides. He and his wife are now 
members of the United Brethren Church and in his political faith he 
is a democrat. To him and his wife were born four children, namely : 
C. J., the subject of this sketch; Wilford, of Stoneham, Colorado; 
Bertha, the wife of Julius Kirkham; Jennie, the wife of Chester 
Johnson, of Chicago. 

C. J. Bohner was reared in Pleasant Lake, Indiana, and received 
his educational training in the public schools of that locality. His first 
employment was in a tile mill, and later he worked in a sawmill. In 
1904 Mr. Bohner came to Montpelier and engaged in the retail shoe 
business, in which he met with success from the start. Subsequently 
he took A. C. Hause in as a partner, the firm being since known as 
Bohner & Hause. They carry a complete and well selected stock of 
footwear of every description and, because of their courteous treat- 
ment, the high quality of their goods and right prices, they have built 
up a large and representative trade. 

On March 4, 1894, Mr. Bohner was married to Frances Dorshimer, 
of Montpelier, and they are the parents of one son, George, born on 
March 11, 1899. The latter attended the public schools, being a gradu- 
ate of the Montpelier High School, is now married and lives at 
Romulus, Michigan, where he is in the employ of the Wabash Rail- 
road Company. : 

Politically, Mr. Bohner gives his support to the democratic party 
and has taken a deep interest in local public affairs, especially as per- 
taining to educational matters and is rendering effective service as a 

Vol Il—17 


258 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


member and president of the Montpelier school board. Fraternally, 
he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a past chan- 
cellor and a member of the grand lodge; of the Loyal Order of Moose, 
of which he is a past dictator, and of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
ica. Mrs. Bohner is a member of the Pythian Sisters. Mr. Bohner 
has been the architect of his own fortunes and has been true to the 
highest ideals and principles in business, civic and social life, so that 
today he enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and good will of 
all who know him. 


Hiram Lonc—A man of strong personality, enterprising and 
progressive, Hiram Long, of Edgerton, has been actively identified 
with many of the leading interests of his home city, which he is now 
serving as mayor, and an important factor in advancing its material 
prosperity. He is likewise associated with the promotion of the mer- 
cantile prosperity of the city as one of its leading druggists and 
pharmacists. A native of Williams County, he was born September 
9, 1869, in St. Joseph Township. 

John Long, his father, was born May 9, 1833, in Stark County, 
Ohio, on the present site of the busy City of Canton. Marrying in 
1859, he came to Williams County soon after that event, and having 
bought land on section 8, was there engaged in general farming for 
many years. Removing to Edgerton, he there retired from active 
pursuits until his death, which occurred April 14, 1901. He married 
Margaret Lang, who was born in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, France, 
in July, 1839, and in 1845 came with her parents to Stark County, 
Ohio, where she married. She died on the home farm in St. Joseph 
Township, May 18, 1880. Of the seven children born of their union, 
four were living in 1920, as follows: Myron, Lona, Hiram and Alma. 
The father was a democrat in politics, and both he and his wife were 
devout members of the English Lutheran Church. 

After leaving the district schools, Hiram Long continued his 
studies in the Edgerton High School and afterwards attended the 
Indiana State University for two years, taking the scientific and the 
teacher’s courses. Engaging in a professional career, he taught school 
four years, after which he attended lectures at the College of Physi- 
cians and Surgeons in Chicago. Since that time Mr. Long has con- 
tinued work as a pharmacist, having served as a clerk in the store he 
now owns and operates until 1897, when he purchased a half interest 
in the establishment. In 1899 he bought out his partner, and has since 
carried a large and lucrative business, his professional knowledge and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 259 


skill, and his prompt and courteous attention to the wants of his 
many customers having won him the confidence and good will of the 
general public. He is a stockholder in the Edgerton State Bank, and 
was one of the organizers of the Farmers Commercial Bank, two 
prosperous financial institutions of Edgerton. 

Mr. Long married Pearl Kline, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, and 
was graduated from the Bryan, Ohio, High School, and from the 
Davis Business College of Toledo. Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Long 
was a teacher, having taught in the district schools and in the Davis 
Business College. A prominent and useful member of the democratic 
party, Mr. Long is active in political circles, and as mayor of Edger- 
ton is filling the responsible position with credit to himself, and to 
the eminent satisfaction of the people concerned. Fraternally, he is 
a member of Edgerton Lodge, No. 357, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, of which he is past master; of Bryan Chapter, Royal 
Arch Masons; of Bryan Council, Royal and Select Masters; and of 
Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar. Prominent in the 
order, he was chairman of the building committee when the Masonic 
Building was under process of construction. 


Harian L. Poote.—A prominent, active and prosperous business 
man of Edgerton, Harlan L. Poole, vice president of the Edgerton 
State Bank and manager of the Oak Manufacturing Company, occupies 
a position of note among the leading citizens of this part of Williams 
County, and is eminently worthy of the respect so generally accorded 
him. A native of Williams County, he was born July 3, 1865, in Cen- 
ter Township, where his early life was spent. 

William Poole, his father, was born in Stark County, Ohio, but 
was reared and educated in Williams County, his parents having set- 
tled in Center Township. Choosing the occupation to which he was 
bred, he bought land in Center Township, and was there prosperously 
engaged in tilling the soil for many years. Subsequently removing 
to Edgerton, he lived retired from active business until his death, in 
1898. He was a republican in politics, and both he and his wife were 
loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and generous con- 
tributors towards its support. He married, in St. Joseph Township, 
Williams County, Mary Cornell, who was born in Maryland, and as a 
girl came with her parents to St. Joseph Township. Of the eleven 
children born of their marriage, seven were living in 1920, as follows: 
Emery C., of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Bertha, widow of William 
Warrick, of Enid, Oklahoma; Ira A., of Texas; Harlan L., the sub- 


260 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS GOUNI™M 


ject of this sketch; Eva, wife of L. J. Gabriel, of Edgerton; Mattie, 
wife of Resnor Nichols, of Farmer Township, Defiance County, Ohio; 
C. W., of Jackson, Michigan. 

Educated in the rural schools of Center Township, Harlan L. Poole 
assisted his father in the care of the home farm until attaining his 
majority, and during the ensuing ten years operated a tile factory on 
the old homestead farm. Coming from there to Edgerton in 1904, he 
was assistant cashier in the Edgerton State Bank for two and a half 
years, and is now serving as vice president of the institution, which has 
the following named officers: President, Charles A. Bowersox; vice 
president, Harlan L. Poole; cashier, I. L. Burke; assistant cashier, 
Jacob Zeeb. The directors of the bank are Charles A. Bowersox, 
Harlan L. Poole, I. L. Burke, Jacob Zeeb and C. A. Dietsch. 

Since 1907 Mr. Poole has been the manager of the Oak Manufac- 
turing Company, a corporation of which Henry Krell is president; 
E. A. Geaque, vice president; Jacob Zeeb, secretary; L. E. Groff, 
treasurer, and Harlan L. Poole, manager. Although he is a stanch 
republican, ever doing his duty at the polls, Mr. Poole takes no active 
part in politics. Fraternally, he belongs to Edgerton Lodge No. 357, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; to Bryan Chapter, No. 45, 
Royal Arch Masons; to Bryan Council, Royal and Select Masters, 
and to Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, at Defiance, 
Ohio. 

Mr. Poole married, in 1889, Susia Lane, a native of Center Town- 
ship, and into their home four children have been born, namely: 
Charles L., a graduate of the Edgerton High School, is train master 
of the Chicago & Indiana Belt Railroad; Waldo, who served a year 
in the World war, having been at the front in France when the armis- 
tice was signed, was educated in the common and high schools of 
Edgerton, and is now married and serving as bookkeeper for the Oak 
Manufacturing Company; Earl C., a high school graduate, served in 
a training camp during the World war, and is now a teller in the 
Edgerton State Bank; and Russell W., a graduate of the Bryan High 
School and now attending Northern University at Ada, Ohio. Mr. and 
Mrs. Poole are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he : 
being president of its official board. 


Arruur C. MAvERHAN.—It would be difficult to find more repre- 
sentative men of the constructive element of any community than those 
who are connected with the conduct of the financial institutions of the 
region, and Williams County is no exception to this rule. Its bankers. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 261 


are men of the highest character and standing, and they are all inter- 
ested in the development of this section and its enterprises. One of 
these sound and dependable men is Arthur C. Mauerhan, cashier of the 
Edon State Bank at Edon. 

Mr. Mauerhan was born at Edon, Ohio, January 25, 1896, a son 
of G. and Louise (Kaltenbach) Mauerhan, and the elder of their two 
children. He attended the public and high schools of his native place, 
and after completing his courses in them, in order to prepare himself 
for his future work, he learned the fundamentals of commercial life 
in a business college at Detroit, Michigan. 

On June 10, 1919, Mr. Mauerhan was made cashier of the Edon 
State Bank, of which he is a stockholder, and associated with him in 
its management are the following men of high repute: C. A. Bower- 
sox, who is president, and E. F. Brandon, who is vice president. This 
bank is firmly established in the confidence of the people of Williams 
County, and its deposits are constantly increasing. 

Mr. Mauerhan was married on July 19, 1919, to Louise A. Starr, 
who attended the Bryan High School and for a year thereafter was 
engaged in teaching school and was regarded as one of the very 
popular and successful young educators of the neighborhood. Mr. 
Mauerhan belongs to the Lutheran Church and is interested in the good 
work this congregation is constantly carrying out. Mrs. Mauerhan 
took a course in domestic science at the Battle Creek Sanitarium and 
also attended college at Olivet, Michigan. In politics Mr. Mauerhan 
is a democrat, and very active in party affairs, having been treasurer 
of Edon for one term, and is now township treasurer. 

Mr. Mauerhan brings to his work and civic endeavors the enthu- 
siasm of youth, which, combined with his natural excellent judgment 
and sound, common sense, make him one of the best of the younger 
business men, and one in whom those with many more years of expe- 
rience to their credit, place implicit confidence. Both he and Mrs. 
Mauerhan are very popular socially and they have a bright future 
before them. 


Frep E. BeacH.—The gentleman whose life history is herewith 
outlined is a man who has lived to good purpose and achieved a splen- 
did success. By a straightforward and commendable course he has 
made his way to a respectable position in the business world, winning 
the hearty admiration of the people of his county and earning a repu- 
tation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs which the public 
has not been slow to recognize and appreciate. Fred E. Beach, who 


262 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


is engaged in the business of undertaking, in which he conducts a pros- 
perous music business at Montpelier, is a native son of Williams 
County, having been born at West Unity on November 27, 1876, and 
is a son of David and Elizabeth (Smith) Beach, the latter of whom 
also was born and reared near West Unity. David Beach was a native 
of Pennsylvania, whence in young manhood he accompanied his par- 
ents on their removal to Williams County. He was reared and edu- 
cated, and in due time was married. He' settled in West Unity, where 
he followed the trade of a blacksmith, in connection with which he 
manufactured wagons and buggies, continuing this business until his 
death. During the latter part of his business career he was a member 
of the firm of Smith & Beach. He and his wife were members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is a member of Superior Lodge, 
Free and Accepted Masons, at West Unity, serving as treasurer of 
his lodge. Politically, he gave his support to the republican party. To 
him and his wife were born eleven children, of which number six now 
survive, namely: Fred E., the immediate subject of this sketch; Carl, 
of West Unity, Ohio; Herman, of West Unity; Mary, the wife of 
Peter Short, of Archbold, Ohio; Lizzie, the wife of Harry Randle, 
of Brady Township, this county, and Marcus, of Toledo, Ohio. 

Fred E. Beach was reared under the parental roof in West Unity, 
where he attended school, being a graduate of the high school. His 
first employment was in a furniture store and he then spent two years 
as a clerk in a dry goods store. In 1899 Mr. Beach came’ to Mont- 
pelier and engaged in the furniture and undertaking business with his 
father, under the firm name of Beach & Son. One year later his 
father died and his interest in the business was continued by his 
widow under the same firm name. Subsequently she sold her interest 
in the business to Mr. Gause, the firm name being known for two 
years as Beach & Gause. Then Gause sold his interest to A. J. Brown, 
the firm style being Beach, Brown & Company until 1912, when the 
subject sold his interest in the business to Mr. Brown. He then 
established himself alone in the undertaking business, in which he has 
continued to the present time and in which he has met with a very 
satisfactory degree of success. He has gained a very enviable reputa- 
tion as a director of funerals and has commanded his full share of the 
local business along that line. In addition to the undertaking busi- 
ness, Mr. Beach also conducts a music business, handling instruments 
and a full line of music supplies and sheet music, both popular and 
classic. By his courteous treatment to his customers, he has built up 
a large trade and his store is popular among music lovers. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 263 


In March, 1899, Mr. Beach was married to Lizzie Hager, who was 
born in West Unity, Ohio, graduating from the high school there, 
after which she was a teacher in the public schools. The union of 
Mr. and Mrs. Beach has been blessed by the birth of six children, 
namely: Evaline, Carmen, Audrey, deceased, David, Russell and 
Robert. 

Mr. and Mrs. Beach are active and earnest members of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church, while in politics Mr. Beach has been a lifelong 
supporter of the republican party. He is secretary of Montpelier 
Commercial Association. His fraternal relations are with the Free 
and Accepted Masons, in which he has taken the degrees of the Blue 
Lodge; the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; the Council of Royal and 
Select Masters, and of Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Tem- 
plar. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past noble grand. 
He and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. 
A man of high moral character, persistent industry and excellent busi- 
ness judgment, he occupies an enviable position among his fellowmen, 
being deservedly popular throughout the community in which he lives. 


Westry C. MatrHews.—There was a time in the history of Ohio 
when some of its men went into farming only as an occupation to 
tide them over for a brief period until they found something more 
congenial, but that is not the case today. The man fortunate enough 
to own a well-cultivated farm feels that he has an investment second 
to none, and takes a deep interest in improving his property and mak- 
ing it yield banner crops. One of these prosperous and representative 
exponents of the agricultural class of Williams County who stands 
high in public regard is Wesley C. Matthews of Florence Township. 

Wesley C. Matthews was born on his present farm which com- 
prises 130 acres of land and is located three miles north and one mile 
east of Edon, on November 22, 1868, a son of Charles W. and Lucinda 
(Cain) Matthews. The birth of Charles W. Matthews took place in 
Canada, February 18, 1841, and his wife was born in Williams County, 
Ohio, February 17, 1846. He died in 1916, but his widow survives 
him and is still living in Williams County, at Montpelier. After com- 
ing to the United States he enlisted in the Michigan Sharpshooters 
during the war between the states, and remained in the service for 
eighteen months. After the war he joined Hiram Lowden Post No. 
155, Grand Army of the Republic. In politics he was a democrat. He 
and his wife had four children, namely: Thomas B., who is a resi- 


264 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


dent of Florence Township; Wesley C., who was the second born; 
Delora, who is the wife of E. C. McCamis, and Leroy who died in 
infancy. 

Growing up on the homestead, Wesley C. Matthews was taught 
to be a farmer by his careful father, and was sent to the district 
schools. After his marriage he took charge of the farm and has 
always lived on it. He is carrying on general farming and stock- 
raising, and is making a success of both branches of agriculture. 

On October 28, 1887, Mr. Matthews was united in marriage with 
Almina Dailey, and they have one daughter, Mildred L., who was 
born August 27, 1903, and is attending Montpelier High School. 
Mr. and Mrs. Matthews are both members of Spring Lake Grange, 
and are very much interested in the object of this organization, for 
they believe that only through co-operation can the best results be 
obtained. In politics Mr. Matthews follows in the footsteps of his 
honored father, and has espoused the principles of the democratic 
party. 


f 
{ 


Joun A. Horitincron.—An able representative of the business 
and financial interests of Williams County, John A. Hollington, vice 
president of the West Unity Banking Company, holds a position of 
prominence among the leading citizens of his community, being ever 
ready to lend his aid and influence in the establishment of beneficial 
projects. A son of the late Richard P. Hollington, he was born Octo- 
ber 13, 1857, at Johnson Mills, Fulton County, Ohio, of honored 
English ancestry. 

The eldest of the five children of Joseph and Mary (Perry) 
Hollington, Richard P. Hollington was born at Redditch, County of 
Worcester, England, March 28, 1822, where for many years his father 
was actively engaged in business, not only as a manufacturer of soap 
and candles, but as grocer. 

In 1833 Joseph Hollington immigrated with his family to the 
United States, locating in Wood County, Ohio. Entering a tract of 
land that was in its primeval wildness, he took up 400 acres of land 
lying near Bowling Green. Erecting a rather pretentious log house, 
containing two stories, he cleared and improved a farm, and there 
continued a resident until his death, in 1848. He was a man of much 
culture and talent, having been a fine actor and a wonderful vocalist, 
with a clear, melodious voice that easily ranged through three octaves, 
and while a young man was offered liberal inducements to appear upon 
the London stage. He was a man of upright character and integrity, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 265 


and although not a member of any religious organization attended 
church regularly, and was a generous contributor towards its support. 
He belonged to a long-lived family, his mother, the great-grandmother 
of John A., the subject of this sketch, having attained her one hundred 
and fourth birthday, retaining in the meantime her mental and physical 
strength to a remarkable degree, on the one hundredth anniversary of 
her birth having visited her daughter, a mile and a half away, walking 
to and fro. 

A sturdy young lad when he came with his parents to the United 
States, Richard P. Hollington continued his studies in the higher insti- 
tutions of learning in Ohio, at the time of his father’s death having 
been attending college in Berea. After serving satisfactorily as admin- 
istrator of his father’s estate, he was engaged in the stock business 
for nearly three years, and subsequently, as junior member of the firm 
of Gates & Hollington, engaged in business at Delta, Fulton County, 
as a general merchant, and a manufacturer of pot and pearl ash. 
He was similarly employed in both Burlington and at Johnson Mills, 
in the same county, until 1857, when he purchased Johnson’s flouring 
mill and sawmill, both of which he operated three years. 

Coming from Fulton County to Williams County in 1860, Richard 
P. Hollington opened a store of general merchandise ; in 1866, wishing 
to enlarge his business activities, he took in a partner, and as head of 
the firm of Hollington & Elliott continued as a merchant until 1881, 
when he retired from active pursuits. In the meantime, as a real 
estate agent, he had bought and sold upwards of twenty farms in 
Fulton and Wood counties, and in addition to owning one of the finest 
residences in West Unity had acquired much property of value in the 
town and surrounding country, including a farm on which he lived for 
a year. His death, which occurred August 7, 1892, was a cause of 
general regret, his influence as a man and a citizen having been felt, 
not only within the limited confines of the community in which he 
lived and labored, but throughout this section of the state. A man 
of great ability and strict integrity, his opinions in matters of impor- 
tance were always sought, and his advice invariably taken. 

In 1849 Richard P. Hollington was united in marriage with Mary 
A. Cummings, who was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, a daughter 
of Joseph and Lucy Cummings, both of whom were of New England 
ancestry. Three children blessed their union, as follows: Albert, 
born June 8, 1852, died April 12, 1853; Franklin, born August 30, 
1854, died May 12, 1868; and John A. Both he and his wife were 
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was 


266 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


a steward for a quarter of a century. He was a steadfast republican 
in politics, but never sought the emoluments of public office, and fra- 
ternally he belonged to the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 

Brought up in Williams County, John A. Hollington was educated 
in the schools of West Unity, graduating from the high school. He 
began life for himself as an agriculturist, and after his marriage lived 
on the Masters farm, in Franklin Township, Fulton County, for 
eleven years, managing it most successfully. Removing then to West 
Unity, Mr. Hollington became a stockholder in the West Unity Bank- 
ing Company, in which he has since been a director, and the vice pres- 
ident, positions for which his financial and business ability amply 
qualify him. | 

Mr. Hollington married, September 12, 1876, Rosella Coslet, who 
was born April 17, 1857, in Brady Township, Williams County, and 
was bred and educated in West Unity. Four children have been born 
of the union of Mr. and Mrs: Hollington, namely: William A., now 
cashier of the First National Bank of Findlay, Ohio, was graduated 
from the West Unity High School, and from Ohio Wesleyan Univer- 
sity, at Delaware, Ohio, was for seventeen years bookkeeper of the 
West Unity Bank; Arthur J., a graduate of the West Unity High 
School, moved after his marriage to Detroit, and there resided until 
his death; Charles R. P., also a high school graduate, is with the West 
Unity Telephone Company; and Mary E., a graduate of the local high 
school, is the wife of George C. Riffle, of Detroit. 

Politically Mr. Hollington is a stanch republican. Mrs. Hollington 
is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, toward 
the support of which Mr. Hollington is a generous supporter. Fra- 
ternally Mr. Hollington is a member of Superior Lodge No. 179, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; of Northwest Chapter, No. 45, 
Royal Arch Masons; of Toledo Commandery, No. 7, Knights 
Templar; of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic 
Shrine. He has been a thirty-second degree Mason since June 14, 
1895. He also belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. Hol- 
lington being a charter member, and a past worthy matron of the 
local chapter. 


Frank L. Buett.—Located as it is in the midst of a rich farming 
community, Edon has long been the market place for a wide area, and 
people come here to trade from a distance of many miles, so that the 
merchants can rely upon doing a first-class business, provided that 
they live up to the requirements of their customers and handle the 
quality of goods demanded. One of the prosperous men in the imple- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 267 


ment line at Edon is Frank L. Buell, senior member of the dependable 
firm of Buell & Cook. 

Frank L. Buell was born in Steuben County, Indiana, June 7, 1871, 
a son of Byron and Mary A. (Gipple) Buell. Byron Buell was born 
in New Hampshire, and came with his parents to Steuben County, 
Indiana, when a year old, and is still living on the family homestead 
in that county. His wife was born in Pennsylvania, but came to Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, at an early day, was here married, and went with 
her husband to Steuben County, Indiana, where she later died. They 
early united with the Christian Church, and Mr. Buell still maintains 
his membership in it. During the war between the states, Mr. Buell 
served as a member of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry for eighteen months. He and his wife had the 
following children: Ida, who is the wife of Eben A. Cole; Dora, who 
is the wife of Ward Dally; Frank, who was fourth in order of birth; 
Viola, who is the wife of Edgar Wiles, of Bryan; Abram, who lives 
at Toledo, Ohio; Willis and Elson, both of whom are on the old farm 
in Steuben County, Indiana; and Evaline, who is deceased. 

Frank Buell grew up on his father’s ‘homestead, and attended the 
local schools until he attained his majority. He then bought a farm in 
Steuben County, Indiana, and lived on it until 1911, when he came to 
Edon, Ohio, and established his present business, and he owns the 
_ building in which it is located. Mr. Buell is also a stockholder in the 
Edon State Bank, and is a man of ample means, all he now owns being 
the result of his personal endeavors. 

In 1892 Mr. Buell was united in marriage with Ida Enfield, who 
was born in Steuben County, Indiana, a daughter of John Enfield. 
Mr. and Mrs. Buell have one daughter, Verna, who is attending the 
public schools of Edon. Not only is Mr. Buell a member of the Chris- 
tian Church, but he is serving it as a deacon. He belongs to Edon 
Lodge No. 474, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is 
past master. In all of his operations Mr. Buell has shown more than 
ordinary ability, and his success is but the natural reward of intelli- 
gently directed effort along legitimate lines of business. In politics 
Mr. Buell is a democrat, and he is now serving as a member of the 
town council. 


GrEorGE WEBER.—A man of business ability, judgment and discrim- 
ination, George Weber, owning and occupying a farm lying in Saint 
Joseph Township, three miles southwest of Edgerton, is conspicuously 
identified with the promotion of the agricultural and financial pros- 
perity of this part of Williams County, being a prosperous and pro- 


268 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY | 


gressive farmer, and president of the Farmers Commercial Bank of 
Edgerton, of which he is a director, and one of the original stock- 
holders. A son of George Weber, Sr., he was born October 15, 1857, 
in Defiance County, Ohio, his birth having occurred on a farm sit- 
uated four miles southeast of Edgerton. 

Born in Oberam, Marbach, Wtirtemberg, Germany, George Weber, 
Sr., remained in his native land until twenty-eight years of age. Hop- 
ing to better his financial condition, he then immigrated to this coun- 
try and made his way directly to Ohio, locating in Defiance County. 
He subsequently bought a tract of timbered land lying four miles 
southeast of Edgerton, and on the farm which he improved spent the 
remainder of his life. At the time he moved on to his farm after 
settling in Defiance County, he married Caroline Fink, who was born 
and educated in the same town that he was, and came to the United 
States at the age of twenty-four years. Ten children blessed their 
union, three of whom are living, as follows: George, the subject of 
this sketch; Christena, wife of Fred Krill, of Defiance County; and 
Jacob, also a resident of Defiance County. The father was a stanch 
_ republican in politics, and an active and influential member of the 
German Methodist Episcopal Church, to which his wife also belonged. 

Growing to manhood on the home farm, George Weber attended 
the district schools, and continued a resident of the parental houeshold 
until past twenty-seven years of age. Starting life for himself, he 
then bought fifty-five acres of the land included in his present home 
farm, and his father gave him a deed to its other fifty-five acres. In 
its management he has been very successful, it being one of the best 
in regard to its improvements and appointments of any in the vicinity, 
its neat and orderly appearance bearing evidence of the thrift and 
prosperity of its owner. Mr. Weber has accumulated other property 
of value, owning in addition to his home farm 244 acres of land in 
Defiance County, and seventy-seven acres in Dekalb County, Indiana. 
He is a steadfast republican in politics, and both he and his wife are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and among its 
most valued and active workers. 

Mr. Weber married, April 7, 1885, Mary S. Kaiser, who was born 
near Edon, Ohio, and of the seven children that have been born of 
their union, five are living, namely: Amanda, William, Carl, Bertha 
and George. All are living with their parents with the exception of 
William, who is engaged in general farming in Williams County. 
The two children dead were Rebecca, who died when thirteen years 
two months and seventeen days, and Oscar, who died when an infant. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 269 


Harry W. RanpeLs.—A progressive and prosperous agriculturist 
of Williams County, possessing a thorough knowledge of the calling 
which he has adopted, Harry W. Randels, living on a farm lying one 
and three-fourths of a mile south of West Unity, is a typical represen- 
tative of the public-spirited, wide-awake young men who in addition 
to advancing their own interests through constant study of means and 
methods are also alive to the needs of their community, and are active 
and influential in promoting its welfare. A son of Charles Randels, 
he was born March 20, 1890, in Gratiot County, Michigan, where the 
first five years of his life were passed. 

A native of Williams County, Charles Randels was born November 
25, 1857, on the parental homestead, which was situated four and a 
half miles northeast of West Unity. As a young man, he went to 
Michigan in search of a favorable location, and for a few years lived 
in Gratiot County. Returning in 1895 to Williams County, Ohio, he 
resided on the farm now occupied by his son Harry, and was there 
engaged in tilling the soil until his death, in 1899. He was a repub- 
lican in politics, and both he and his wife united with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. His wife, whose maiden name was Letitia Jami- 
son, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, March 17, 1850, and is now 
a resident of West Unity, Ohio. Four children were born of their 
marriage, as follows: George B., of Alma, Michigan; Maggie, wife 
of William A. Cook, of West Unity; Harry W., the subject of this 
brief personal review ; and Leslie, of Toledo, Ohio. 

Five years old when his parents returned to Williams County, 
Harry W. Randels was here reared and educated in the schools of 
West Unity. Going then to Toledo, Ohio, he took a course of study 
in a business college, and for six months thereafter was employed as a 
stenographer in the office of the News-Bee. Soon after, taking upon 
himself the responsibilities of a married man, he settled on the farm 
where he now lives, and in its management has shown marked ability 
and sound judgment. Keeping himself well informed in regard to the 
more highly improved methods of caring for the land, he is classed 
among the up-to-date farmers of his locality, and is now serving as 
one of the directors of the Williams County Agricultural Society at 
Montpelier. He is actively interested in public affairs, and during the 
World war was a member of the Williams County American Patriotic 
Organization and was captain of Brady Township. 

Mr. Randels married, November 30, 1911, Elizabeth Beach, who 
was born in Brady Township, this county, and educated in the schools 
of West Unity. Three children have blessed their marriage, namely: 


270 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


James W., born July 13, 1913; George D., born January 17, 1915; 
and Karl, born August 28, 1917. Politically Mr. Randels is identified 
with the republican party, in which he takes an active interest. Fra- 
ternally he is a member of Superior Lodge No. 179, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons; of Evergreen Lodge, No. 648, Knights of 
Pythias ; of Lodge No. 5126, Modern Woodmen of America; and he 
also belongs to Brady Grange No. 2164, which he is now serving as 
master. Both Mr. and Mrs. Randels are members of the West Unity 
Methodist Church. 


HERBERT SHARP.—A well-known and well-to-do agriculturist of 
Edgerton, Herbert Sharp is a worthy representative of the indus- 
trious, thrifty and self-reliant men of Williams County who have 
achieved success through their own courageous and persevering efforts. 
A son of Henry Sharp, he was born December 31, 1851, in Allen 
County, Indiana, coming on the maternal side of substantial New 
England stock. 

Born in Albany, New York, January 19, 1809, Henry Sharp spent 
the earlier years of his life in that locality. Coming westward soon 
after his marriage, he located at Fort Wayne, Indiana, as a manufac- 
turer of hats. He subsequently engaged in mercantile pursuits on 
Columbia street, that city, and was there a resident until his death, 
on June 15, 1900. Active in republican ranks, he served as mayor of 
Fort Wayne for one term. He was a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, to which his wife also belonged; he served as an elder for 
many years. His wife, whose name before marriage was Roxie Olds, 
was born in Swanton, Vermont, May 15, 1815, and was married at 
Saint Albans, Vermont, in 1840. She outlived him several years, 
dying March 21, 1913, in Chicago, Illinois. Seven children were born 
of their union, as follows: Mary L. became the wife of Dr. Gunder 
Erickson, and neither of them are now living; Carrie, a graduate of 
Mount Holyoke College, at South Hadley, Massachusetts, was first 
principal of a ward school, and later of Westminster Seminary ; 
John H., Abbie J., and Thomas L., all deceased; Emma, wife of David 
Boyer; and Herbert. 

Born and educated in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Herbert Sharp 
remained there until 1867. Of an active and enterprising disposition 
by nature, ambitious to start out for himself, he came in that year to 
Edgerton and going into a heavily timbered tract of land began the 
improvement of the 160 acres of land that now constitutes his present 
farm. For seven years he labored industriously, doing his own cook- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 271 


ing and housekeeping, in the meantime selling the wood he cut to the 
railroad company. 

Mr. Sharp has been twice married. On February 17, 1876, he 
married Helen A. Neuman, who was born in Palmyra, Michigan, in 
1855, and at the age of three months was brought by her parents to 
Edgerton, Ohio, where she spent the remainder of her life, passing 
away on the home farm June 1, 1911. Nine children blessed their 
marriage, namely: Fred, engaged in the hardware business at Flint, 
Michigan; Thomas L., also in the hardware business in the same city; 
Herbert, a graduate of the Edgerton High School and of the Armour 
Institute at Chicago, Illinois; Harlan H., a hardware merchant in 
Milford, Indiana; Anthony W., engaged in farming in Saint Joseph 
Township; Helen, a graduate of the Edgerton High School, is in Los 
Angeles, California ; Esther, who was graduated from the local high 
school, and the Thomas Normal School, at Detroit, Michigan, in 
dietetics, is now taking a course in nursing at the Johns Hopkins 
Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland; Henry died at the age of three years ;- 
and Marjory, who was graduated from the Edgerton High School 
and from the Chicago Normal School of Physical Education. 

Mr. Sharp married second Mrs. Ella M. (Schopp) Lewis, whose 
first husband, William C. Lewis, died at the age of sixty-five years, 
leaving one child, Helen M. Lewis, who was graduated from the 
Edgerton High School, and is now the wife of G. F. Beucler, of 
Detroit, Michigan. 

William C. Lewis was a son of William S. Lewis, who came with 
his parents, Thomas and Margaret (Slater) Lewis, to Williams County, 
Ohio, in 1832, and was brought up on what is now known as the 
Dawson farm. William S. Lewis married Eliza E. Wannamaker and 
settled on what is now the Sam Burkhart place. He was subsequently 
elected sheriff on the republican ticket and served two terms. Return- 
ing then to Edgerton, he bought the hotel, which he managed a num- 
ber of years. Disposing of that, he bought a farm in southern Illinois, 
but at the end of six years returned to Edgerton and continued here a 
resident until his death, in 1900. His wife preceded him, dying in 
1888. Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. William S. Lewis, 
four have passed to the life beyond, and four are living, as follows: 
Charles E. and Henry; of Minneapolis, Minnesota ; Sarah, widow of 
Leonard Allen; and Nancy, widow of Dr. S. J. Moore, of Mitchell, 
South Dakota. 

Mrs. Sharp was born in Canton, Ohio, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 
Emanuel Schopp, and when married to William C. Lewis in 1884 


272 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


came to Edgerton, Ohio, where she has resided ever since. Mr. Lewis 
was successfully engaged in business as a dealer in hay and grain. 
He was a stanch republican in politics, and fraternally belonged to the 
Knights of Pythias. He was an active member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, to which Mrs. Sharp also belongs. 


Isaac E. Coox.—Almost without exception the men of any of the 
smaller cities of the country who rise to be owners of their business 
enterprises are possessed of the highest character. If they were not, 
they could not have gained the public confidence to such an extent. 
Where congestion is greater, dishonesty may seem to prosper for a 
time, but in the communities where each man’s life’is open to the 
inspection of his associates, unless he measures up to the standards 
they believe to be right and dependable, he soon finds that he lacks 
their support, and without it he cannot carry on his undertaking. 
Therefore, when a man in such a community has been able to interest 
his fellow citizens, and keep their custom, it is certain beyond any 
reasonable doubt that he is in every way worthy of their approval. 

Isaac E. Cook, junior member of the well-known implement firm 
of Buell & Cook, is one of the highly respected merchants and citizens 
of Edon and Williams County. He was born in Florence Township, 
this county, August 7, 1869, a son of David and Dorothea (Burkhart) 
Cook, natives of Pennsylvania. They came to Crawford County, Ohio, 
and then to Williams County about 1856, and located in Florence 
Township, and there spent the rest of their lives. Early joining the 
Evangelical Church they were liberal and active supporters of it and 
were devout Christian people. In politics he was a democrat, but he 
never cared to hold public office, although had he cared to do so, 
doubtless could have been elected to one or the other of the township 
offices, for he was held in such high regard by his neighbors that they 
would have felt honored had he been willing to represent them. He 
and his wife had three children, namely: Samuel, who lives at Edon; 
Rebecca, who is the wife of George Rockey, of Edon; and Isaac E., 
who is the youngest. 

Growing up on the old farm in Florence Township, Isaac E. Cook 
remained on it until his father’s death and acquired a knowledge of 
the fundamentals of a public school education in the neighborhood. 
He learned the carpenter trade and worked at it until he bought a 
half interest in his present firm, in 1916, at which time he located per- 
manently at Edon. In addition to his business, Mr. Cook owns 100 
acres of valuable land in Florence Township. 


MR. AND MRS: CHESTER Tf. CLARK 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 273 


On December 25, 1893, Mr. Cook was married to Essie Bebee. 
Like his father he is a democrat, and, also like him, he has never taken 
any active part in politics. 


Cuerster T. CLarK.—There are few farmers of Williams County 
who have met with more encouraging success here than Chester T. 
Clark, one of those strong, sturdy characters who has contributed 
largely to the material welfare of the community and township in 
which he resides, being a modern agriculturist and as a citizen public- 
spirited and progressive in all that the terms imply, and for a number 
of years he has been an important factor in promoting the progress of 
his section of the county. He is now living practically retired from 
the active operation of his land, enjoying a well-earned respite. 

Chester T. Clark, who owns 562 acres of excellent farm land in 
Springfield Township, was born on section 21 of this township, on 
April 11, 1848, and is the son of Lewis and Catherine (Knipe) Clark, 
the mother a native of Ross County, Ohio, and the father born in 
Massachusetts. They both came to Williams County prior to their 
marriage, and after the latter event they settled on section 21, Spring- 
field Township, where they spent the remainder of their days. Lewis 
Clark was a splendid citizen and successful farmer, becoming the 
owner of 335 acres of land. This is very creditable in view of the 
fact that when he came to this county his cash capital was only about 
$500. He was an earnest supporter of the democratic party. To him 
and his wife were born five children, namely: Roxie A., who is the 
wife of James Sandford, of Springfield Township; Caleb M., a farmer 
in Springfield Township; Chester T., the immediate subject of this 
sketch; Austin, of Springfield Township; Alice, the wife of J. W. 
Sloan, of Springfield Township. 

Chester T. Clark was reared on the paternal farmstead in section 
21 and-secured a good practical education in the district schools of 
that day. He remained on the home farm until he had attained his 
majority, when he bought fifty acres of timber land, which he cleared 
by his own efforts and then sold the tract to his brother. He then 
bought sixty acres where he now lives and which formed the nucleus 
for the present fine estate belonging to him. To this original tract 
Mr. Clark has added from time to time until. today he is the owner 
of 562 acres, comprising the largest land holding belonging to one 
person in Springfield Township. To the improvement and cultivation 
of his land Mr. Clark devoted the best years of his life, always main- 
taining it at the highest standard of agricultural excellence and win- 

Vol. II—18 : 


274 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ning a high reputation as a practical and up-to-date farmer. In 
addition to the raising of a general line of crops, Mr. Clark also gave 
considerable attention to the raising of livestock, in which he also met 
with good success. 

On March 14, 1878, Mr. Clark was married to Anna Maltby and 
they became the parents of six children, namely: Joseph, of Spring- 
field Township, is married and the father of Lawrence, Alberta, 
Arvilla and Ethel; Caleb Z., of Springfield Township, is married and 
the father of Glen, Allen, Mildred, Marjorie, Clifford, Enoch Chester 
and Iona; Catherine is the wife of James O. Rising of Springfield 
Township, and her children are Chester R., Forest, Frankie, Ruth, 
Lillian; Lewis, of Springfield Township, is also married and the 
father of Wayne, Chester T., Jr., Melvin, H. and Lewis W.; Alice is 
the wife of Harry Dicks, who is operating the subject’s farm; Chester 
W. is also married and operates a part of the home farm. 

Politically, Mr. Clark has been a lifelong supporter of the demo- 
cratic ticket and has always taken a healthy interest in the welfare of 
the community in which he has spent practically his entire life, giving 
his support to all worthy moral and benevolent movements. His life 
history has been distinguished by the most substantial qualities of 
character and he enjoys to a notable degree the confidence and regard 
of the entire community. 


Pror. W. A. L. Grsss.—A gifted and accomplished musician, 
Prof. W. A. L. Gibbs, a well-known and popular music teacher of 
Bryan, Williams County, and director of the United Brethren Church 
choir, has acquired a far-extended reputation as an able and efficient 
choir, chorus and orchestra leader, having been successfully engaged 
in the work since a lad of eleven years. A son of Christopher Gibbs, 
he was born on a farm in Fulton County, Ohio, and received his early 
education in the common schools of his native district. 

Christopher Gibbs was born, bred and educated in New Jersey, 
and there married one of his early companions, Eliza Wilgus. Shortly 
after taking that important step, he came to Ohio, about 1859 or 1860, 
and settled on a farm in Fulton County, near Pettisville, where he 
lived and labored until his death. A man of much influence in his 
community, he was active in the republican ranks, and a valued mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which both he and his 
wife united soon after their marriage. Of the nine children born of 
their union, four died in infancy; one passed to the life beyond at the 
age of nineteen years, and four are living, as follows: J. W. W., of 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 275 


Wauseon, Ohio; W. A. L., the special subject of this sketch; Ollie, 
wife of Peter Aeschliman; and G. W., living in Morenci, Michigan. 

Manifesting a decided talent for music as a small child, much 
attention was given toward developing the wonderful talent of 
Prof. W. A. L. Gibbs, who says that he cannot remember the time 
when he could not readily read music, and in its study he made rapid 
progress. He frequently as a boy substituted for his brother, who 
belonged to a male quartette, and at the age of eleven years he began 
his musical career as leader of a church choir, being so small that he 
had to stand on a box while doing so. 

Professor Gibbs began at that time to study music, both by corre- 
spondence and under private tutorship, and he is still a student, keep- 
ing in touch with all the modern methods used in teaching the art. He 
subsequently attended a music school in Detroit, and later in Chicago, 
Illinois, at the age of eighteen years being proficient in piano and 
orchestral work. The professor afterward took private instruction 
in Chicago, under Dr. D. B. Towner, a noted song and gospel leader, 
receiving special training as a director of choir, chorus and congrega- 
tional singing. 

For five years thereafter, Professor Gibbs was engaged in 
evangelistic work, with which he is still more or less connected, 
in that capacity visiting many different states. Subsequently organ- 
izing a chorus of sixty splendid voices, he traveled extensively, visiting 
among other places, Cincinnati, Ohio; Richmond and Norfolk, Vir- 
ginia, and Washington, District of Columbia. The professor has 
taught music in nearly every part of Williams County, as well as in 
other counties of the state. In 1913, having disposed of his interests 
in Mercer County, Ohio, where he had organized a special system of 
musical instruction, he moved back to Bryan, where, in addition to 
his work as a music teacher he has full charge of the United Brethren 
Church choir, and of its Sunday school music. He has also one of the 
most proficient orchestras to be found in northwestern Ohio, each of 
its twenty members being well trained and accomplished musical 
artists. He takes especial interest in his church and Sunday school 
music, and arranges all of his own cantata work. 

Professor Gibbs married, in 1908, at Waterloo, Indiana, Olive A. 
Hamman, who was born in De Kalb County, Indiana, a daughter of 
Frank F. and Phoebe (Martin) Hamman. She was educated in the 
public schools of Waterloo, and at the Tri-State College, in Angola, 
Indiana, and was subsequently a pupil of the professor when he was 
doing evangelistic work in Waterloo. Both Professor and Mrs. Gibbs 


276 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


are active members of the United Brethren Church, and prominent 
and influential workers in both church and Sunday school. Politically 
Professor Gibbs is a straightforward republican, and fraternally he 
is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He was active in the World 
war, for his efficient work having had several badges conferred upon 
him by the Federal Government. 

O. W. Carorus.—It is a well-recognized fact that the most 
powerful influence in shaping and controlling public life is the press. 
It reaches a greater number of people than any other agency. and thus 
has always been, and, in the hands of persons competent to direct it, 
always will be a most important factor in moulding public opinion. 
The gentleman, to a brief review of whose life the following lines are 
devoted, has been for some years closely identified with the journalism 
of northern Ohio and at this time is editor and publisher of the Mont- 
pelier Leader, one of the most popular papers in Williams County, 
comparing favorably with the best in this section of the state in news, 
editorial ability and mechanical execution. The county recognizes in 
Mr. Carolus not only a keen newspaper man, but also a representa- 
tive citizen, whose interest in all that affects the general welfare has 
been of such a character as to win for him a high place in the confi- 
dence and esteem of the people. O. W. Carolus was born in Allen 
County, Ohio, on October 27, 1878. His parents, John and Mary 
(Rupert) Carolus, had five children: William T., of Celina, Ohio; 
Sarah E., wife of Eli Wagoner, of St. Marys, Ohio; Lewis, of Flint, 
Michigan; Lottie, wife of I. N. Tracy, of Spencerville, Ohio; and 
O. W. Carolus. 

Mr. Carolus was reared on his father’s farm, attended the district 
schools of his home neighborhood and at Spencerville, and completed 
his early education in the high school at St. Marys. For a time he 
was a teacher, and later a student in the Tri-State Normal College at 
Angola, Indiana. In 1901 Mr. Carolus became identified with the 
newspaper business as night editor of the Lima (Ohio) Gazette, 
remaining five years. Four years he was on the road as a commercial 
salesman, but after his marriage in 1910 became a reporter on the 
Cleveland News, shortly changing to the Cleveland Leader, where he 
occupied the state editor’s desk. Prior to coming to Williams County 
he was night editor of the Sandusky Register, and on August 1, 1915, 
came to Montpelier and bought the Leader, of which he is editor and 
publisher. He possesses to a marked degree the instinct for news 
that characterizes the born newspaper man, and has so directed the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 277 


policy of the Leader as to gain for it an enviable standing among the 
newspapers of Williams County. 

June 8, 1910, Mr. Carolus was married to Mrs. Nina I. Dickinson, 
a native of Summit County, Ohio, but at that time a resident of Cleve- 
land. Mr. Carolus is a member of Montpelier Lodge of Masons, 
Mrs. Carolus being affiliated with the Eastern Star. A republican, 
Mr. Carolus has always taken a keen interest in the development and 
upbuilding of the community in which he lives. He is the present 
mayor of Montpelier, and a member of the Montpelier Commercial 
Association, being assigned to the publicity committee. 


Matcorm SmirH, assistant cashier of the Alvordton Banking 
Company, is one of the solid arid dependable men connected with 
the financial affairs of Williams County, and a highly respected 
resident of Alvordton. He was born in Mill Creek Town- 
ship, Williams County, Ohio, in June, 1858, a son of Morris Ee and 
Sarah (Gault) Smith, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania 
in 1818, and the latter in Warren County, New York, in July, 1832. 
Morris H. Smith died in Mill Creek Township on November 11, 1864, 
having been married in 1853, and the subsequent spring brought his 
wife to this township, settling on the farm where he later died. He 
and his wife had four children; namely: Hiram W., who lives at Glen- 
wood Springs, Colorado; Harry C., who lives at Smiths Center, Kan- 
sas; Malcolm, who was the third in order of birth; and Frank H., 
who died in 1886. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Smith was left 
with four children, but reared them, and was spared to her family 
until February, 1911, when she was called away by death. She was 
possessed of a lovely Christian character, and was an honored mem- 
ber of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Smith was a democrat. 

Malcolm Smith was only a little child when he lost his father, 
but his excellent mother brought him up, as her other children, to 
habits of industry and thrift, made him useful on the farm and sent 
him to school in the district. Later he was able to attend high school 
for a short time. When he was eighteen years old he began manag- 
ing the farm, and later became its owner, and still has it. This farm 
comprises eighty acres of very valuable land. He owns other land, 
having at this time 277% acres. Like his father, he is a democrat 
and has served as a justice of the peace for twelve years, and also as 
assessor of Mill Creek Township. For some years Mr. Smith has 
been connected with his present company, a private banking concern, 
as assistant cashier. 


278 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


He feels that too much credit cannot be given to his mother for 
' her noble efforts in behalf of her children. It is not every widow who 
is able to manage as she did, and her success came only through great 
personal sacrifice and devotion. It is such mothers as she who prove 
the truth of the old saying, “When God found He could not be 
always with His children, he made mothers.” 


Wes Ley J. WIELAND.—In section 20, Pulaski Township, is situated 
the fine farm property which gives patent evidence of the ability and 
progressiveness of its owner, Wesley J. Wieland, who here maintains 
his home and who is recognized as one of the successful and represen- 
tative exponents of agricultural and livestock enterprises in Williams 
County. i 

Mr. Wieland was born in Defiance County, this state, February 9, 
1859, and is a son of John G. and Christena (Kortz) Wieland, both 
natives of Wurtemberg, Germany, where the former was born about 
the year 1826 and the latter about 1830. John G. Wieland was young 
when his parents immigrated to the United States and established 
their home in the state of New York, where they passed the remainder 
of their lives. John G. Wieland was reared and educated in the old 
Empire state, where his marriage occurred, and in 1850 he and his 
wife came to Ohio and settled on a farm in Defiance County, where 
he won worthy prosperity and where both continued to reside until 
their death, he having been a democrat in politics and his wife having 
been a zealous member of the German Methodist Church. They 
became the parents of twelve children, of whom eight are living in 
1920, four of the number being residents of Williams County. 

Wesley J. Wieland was reared under the invigorating discipline of 
the old home farm in Defiance County and remained at the parental 
home until he had attained to his legal majority, his educational advan- - 
tages in the meanwhile having been those afforded in the public 
schools of the locality and period. After leaving home he received 
$100 for seven months’ service at farm work in his native county, and 
he continued his association with farm enterprise as an employe until 
his marriage, September 2, 1881, to Miss Charlotte A. Simmons, who 
likewise was born and reared in Defiance County. The young couple 
initiated their career of marital companionship with an available capi- 
tal of only $200, but with a full allotment of courage and ambition. 
After having been employed fifteen months in a gristmill in his native 
county, Mr. Wieland rented land and engaged in independent farm 
enterprise. With gradual advancement in financial prosperity, he 
continued his operations on rented farms until 1902, when he pur- 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 279 


chased his present farm of 200 acres. Much of the land was still 
covered with native timber, and in clearing away the timber and 
making the land available for cultivation he realized a substantial 
profit in the sale of the timber. The house on his farm is one of 
modern design and facilities and is one of the best in Pulaski Town- 
ship, while the barns and other buildings on the place are of excellent 
type and in their appearance give evidence of care and of the thrift 
and prosperity of the owner. This fine property represents the returns 
from the industrious and well directed labors of Mr. Wieland, for 
the only financial aid he has ever received was his reception of $800 
from his father’s estate. His civic loyalty and liberality attest his 
appreciation of the opportunities which have been his in his forward- 
moving career, and he takes deep interest in the welfare of his home 
community and county. Mr. Wieland was prominently identified with 
the organization and incorporation of the Farmers’ Co-operative Grain 
and Supply Company, with headquarters at Bryan, the county seat, 
and he has the distinction of being president of this important cor- 
poration, which has proved of inestimable value to the farmers of the 
county, especially during the period of the World war and the present 
interval of high cost of living. In national affairs he is a supporter 
of the cause of the democratic party, but in local politics he is not 
constrained by strict partisanship. 

The devoted wife of Mr. Wieland’s youth passed to the life eternal 
in January, 1906, and is survived by four children: Fannie is the wife 
of Sylvan Planson, and prior to her marriage had been a popular 
teacher in the district schools; Amelia is the wife of Clarence Young; 
Frank is now a resident of the city of Toledo; and Orlie is the wife 
of Dr. Zephaniah Ballmer, of Toledo. Mr. Wieland married 
Mrs. Gertrude Zeller, widow of John Zeller, and she is the popular 
chatelaine of their pleasant and hospitable rural home. 

A. L. Kriver—In compiling this volume of representative citizens 
of Williams County occasion has been afforded to give the records of 
men in many walks of life; here will be found appropriate mention 
of worthy citizens of all vocations, and at this juncture we are per- 
mitted to offer a resume of the career of one who has performed well 
his life’s duties and by his perseverance, industry and ingenuity has 
gained the respect of the community, as well as a well-deserved 
success. 

A. L. Krider, the well-known proprietor of the A. L. Krider 
Motor Works at Montpelier, was born in Churubusco, Indiana, on 


‘280 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


December 27, 1875, and is a son of Frank and Julia (Wagoner) Kri- 
der. The father was also born in Churubusco and the mother was a 
native of Columbia City, Indiana. They were married in Whitley 
County, Indiana, and settled on a farm, where they lived for many 
years, Mr. Krider finally retiring from active business life and they 
now live in Churubusco. They are earnest members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church and Mr. Krider is a member of the Knights of 
Pythias, being a past chancellor of his lodge. In politics he gives his 
support to the republican party. To him and his wife were born four 
children, namely: A. L., the immediate subject of this review; Homer, 
of Whitley County, Indiana; Osie, the wife of T. J. Corban, of near 
Huntertown, Indiana, and Toby, of Whitley County, Indiana. 

A. L. Krider was reared on the parental farmstead in Whitley 
County, Indiana, and received his mental training in the common 
schools of that neighborhood. At the age of seventeen years he began 
life on his own account, securing employment in a glass works at 
Marion, Indiana. He also about that time learned the art of teleg- 
raphy and then for a time was employed on a railroad section. He 
then engaged in farming and in July, 1896, he became a fireman on 
the Wabash Railroad, and on November 3, 1902, he became an engi- 
neer, in which capacity he has remained ever since in the employ of 
the Wabash Railroad. 

Mr. Krider possesses a natural aptitude for mechanics and has 
designed and built a gas engine, which has been pronounced one of 
‘the best of its kind in the market and which has been extensively — 
adopted in marine and automobile service. In order to facilitate the 
manufacture of these engines, he erected his own shop in 1917 and 
has installed a splendid equipment of machinery, so that he is well 
prepared not only for the building of his own engine, but also is in a 
position to do all kinds of repair work. 

Mr. Krider was married to Nettie B. Jones, of Auburn, Indiana, 
and they have a daughter, Edith, who is now a high school student. 
Mrs. Krider is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Krider 
gives his political support to the republican party and he is a member 
of Montpelier Lodge No. 547, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; 
Chapter No. 147, Royal Arch Masons, and Council No. 134, Royal 
and Select Masters. He has ever enjoyed the respect and esteem of | 
those wha know him for his friendly manner, business ability, his 
interest in public affairs and right living, and is regarded by all as 
one of the substantial and worthy citizens of the community in which 
he lives. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 281 


Frank Gump.—lIt is a pleasure to investigate the career of a 
successful, self-made man. Peculiar honor attaches to that individual 
who, beginning the great struggle of life alone and unaided, removes 
one by one the obstacles from the pathway of success and by the 
master strokes of his own force and vitality succeeds in forging his 
way to the front and winning for himself a competency and a position 
of esteem and influence among his fellow men. Such is the record of 
the popular citizen of Montpelier to a brief synopsis of whose life 
and character the following lines are devoted. 

Frank Gump was born at West Unity, Williams County, Ohio, on 

’ October 3, 1878, and is a son of William H. and Sarah (Lewis) Gump, 
both of whom also were natives of the Buckeye State, the father 
having been born near Plymouth and the mother at Haysville. Some 
time after their marriage, in 1885, they came to West Unity, where 
the father followed his trade, that of a shoemaker, and also operated 
a store. He was engaged in the latter business for over fifty years, 
during a part of the time under the firm name of Coslet & Gump, 
though during the latter part of the period Mr. Gump was the sole 
proprietor. At the age of seventy-nine years he retired from active 
business and is now living in West Unity. Mr. Gump served one 
and a half years in defense of the Union during the Civil war and is 
now a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church and gives his political support to 
the republican party. Mrs. Gump died about sixteen years ago. They 
became the parents of seven children, four of whom are now living, 
namely: Ella, the wife of George Yesbera, of Montpelier; L. C., of 
Montpelier; Charles, of Chicago, Illinois, and Frank. The latter was 
reared in the parental home at West Unity and secured his education 
in the public schools, being a graduate of the high school. His first 
employment was with H. H. Miller, but later he went to Addison, 
Michigan, where he clerked in a drug store and grocery store. In 
1894 Mr. Gump came to Montpelier and for a short time was employed 
as a clerk in a clothing store, after which he returned to West Unity, 
where he remained for about six and a half years. He then went to 
Leadville, Colorado, as buyer for the Hayden Clothing Company, but 
eventually returned to West Unity, where he was employed about one 
year. The following year he spent in the employ of Marshall Field 
& Company at Chicago, and the season of 1903 was spent in a whole- 
sale woolen house. He then returned to Montpelier and entered the 
employ of George Yesbera, soon afterwards acquiring an interest in 
the business, of which he obtained entire control in 1913. He carries 


282 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


a large and well-selected stock of clothing and by his courteous treat- 
ment and fair prices he has built up a large and representative 
patronage. 

In June, 1906, Mr. Gump was married to Maude Lewis, who was 
born in Indiana, but was educated in the public schools of Montpelier. 
To them have been born four children, Josephine, Helen, Catherine 
and Dorotha. Mrs. Gump is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Mr. Gump gives his support to the republican party, while 
he sustains fraternal relations with the Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Knights of Pythias and 
the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He is a man of absolute honesty, 
always on the advance and manages his extensive clothing business 
with a skill and prudence which comes of a practical knowledge of 
every detail of the business. He is a man of many fine personal 
qualities and enjoys to a marked degree the esteem of all who know 
him. 


GrorceE W. Lesnet.—In all the relations of life, George W. 
Lesnet, one of the substantial and well-known citizens of Williams 
County, has proved sigrially true to every trust. He has spent his life 
in this state, believing that for one of his bent no better place could 
be found, and he has been successful, building up, through his close 
application and careful management, a valuable landed estate and 
accumulated a competency, so that, now that the snows’ of old age 
have settled upon him, he can spend his last years in peace, quiet and 
plenty, at the same time enjoying the good will and esteem of all 
who know him. 

George W. Lesnet, formerly an active farmer of Bridgewater 
Township, but now retired from active business and living at No. 620 
East Washington street, Montpelier, was born in Columbiana County, 
Ohio, on December 10, 1840, and is the son of James and Elizabeth 
(Brannan) Lesnet. The father was a native of Pennsylvania and 
the mother was born and reared in Ireland. They were married in 
Ohio and in 1847 came to Williams County, settling on a farm in 
Superior Township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. 
They were earnest members of the Presbyterian Church and Mr. Les- 
net was a republican in his political faith. They were the parents of 
seven children, of which number four are now living, namely: Nancy, 
who remains unmarried and lives in Superior Township; George W., 
the subject of this sketch; Mary, the widow of Eli Wisman; John, of 


On 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 283 


| Superior Township. Of the deceased children, Francis was a soldier 


in the Civil war and was killed at the battle of Atlanta. 

George W. Lesnet was about seven years of age when the family 
came to Superior Township, and he received a somewhat limited edu- 
cation in the district schools. He remained at home until the opening 
of the Civil war, when, on August 29, 1862, he enlisted in Company 
K, Sixty-Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he 
served faithfully until the end of the war, receiving an honorable dis- 
charge in June, 1865. He then returned to his father’s farm, where 
he remained for some time. In the meantime he bought a farm in 
Bridgewater Township, the land being heavily covered with timber, 
and to the clearing and improvement of this land he devoted himself, 
at length finding himself the owner of 160 acres of excellent and well 
cultivated land. He was successful through the years in the operation 
of this place, on which he remained until November, 1911, when he 
retired from active labor and moved to Montpelier, where he now 
resides. 

On October 18, 1882, Mr. Lesnet was married to Ann E. Logan, 
who was born in Superior Township, Williams County, on January 
30, 1852, and is the daughter of Andrew and Mary A. (Young) 
Logan. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania and her mother 
was born in Jefferson County, Ohio. After their marriage they came 
to Williams County and settled in Superior Township, three miles 
west of Montpelier, where they spent the remainder of their lives. 
Mrs. Lesnet was educated in the district schools, the Bryan High 
School and the Tri-State Normal College, at Angola, Indiana. At 
the age of sixteen years she taught her first term of school and alto- 
gether taught twenty-five terms of school. Mr. and Mrs. Lesnet are 
the parents of five childern, namely: Lulu, the wife of Fay Lough- 
weed, who lives on and operates the subject’s farm in Bridgewater 
Township; Carl, who married Malissa Conkey and lives in Northwest 
Township; Francis Y., who served ten months in the United States 
army during the World war, is unmarried and lives with his parents; 
Mary is the wife of Lindon Hoadley, of Bridgewater Township ; 
George L., who also served in the United States Expeditionary Forces 
in France during the World war. 

Mrs. Lesnet is a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which 
she takes an active part in the various phases of church work. She 
is also a member of the Woman’s Relief Corps, in which she has held 
a number of officers. Mr. Lesnet is a member of Hiram Louden Post 
No. 155, Grand Army of the Republic, while in politics he gives his 


284 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


support to the republican party. While his life has not been such as 
to gain him particular notoriety or the admiring plaudits of men, he 
has been true to every trust and conscientious in the discharge of 
every duty, showing such attributes of character as have won for 
him the sincere regard of all who know him. 


NeLson CuMMINS.—The subject of this sketch has long been one 
of the important factors in the agricultural life of his part of Williams 
County, his fine farm being located two miles east and one and a half 
miles north of Montpelier, and known as “Pleasant Hill Farm.” The 
son of one of the pioneer residents of this locality, a man who held a 
record as a prominent farmer and public-spirited citizen, he is entitled 
by birth to a conspicuous place in the life of the community. A 
progressive farmer, in the best sense of the term, he has been success- 
ful and is eminently deserving on his own account of the splendid 
reputation which he enjoys in his community. 

Nelson Cummins was born on February 14, 1851, on a farm 
adjoining the one where he now lives in Superior Township, and 
he is a son of Joseph and Mary J. (Van Fosen) Cummins. His par- 
ents were both natives of Ohio, the father’s birth having occurred in 
Portage County and the mother’s in Richland County. They came 
to Williams County with their respective parents and were here mar- 
ried. They settled on a farm in Superior Township, where they spent 
their active years. Both are now deceased, the father dying in Mont- 
pelier and the mother in Chicago, Illinois. Joseph Cummins was a 
democrat in politics and a member of the Grange. His wife was a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Of the eight children 
born to them, four are now living, namely: Nelson, the immediate 
subject of this sketch; Monroe, who lives in Michigan; Caroline, the 
widow of Hugh Bohner, and Joseph, an attorney in Chicago. 

Nelson Cummins was reared on the home farm and attended the 
common schools of his home neighborhood. At the age of eighteen 
years he commenced to work for himself in Indiana and in 1870 he 
went to Kansas, where for four years he worked on farms by the 
month. He then returned to Williams County and, after his mar- 
riage, he went to farming on his own account, his father giving him a 
cow. He rented his father’s farm for eight years and then received 
by inheritance from his father 171 acres, on which he lived until 1908, 
when he purchased the farm of 160 acres where he now lives. He 
is thus the owner of 371 acres of excellent farm land, which, under 
his excellent management, has returned abundant harvests. The 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 285 


farms are both well improved and are maintained at a high standard 
of cultivation. 

In 1874 Mr. Cummins was married to Mary J. Barnhart, who was 
born in Seneca County, Ohio, in 1856, and came with her parents to 
Williams County, where she was reared and secured a good education 
in the common schools. To Mr. and Mrs. Cummins have been born 
thirteen—eleven children now living, namely: John W., Homer, Her- 
man, Vard, Arnold, Carson, all of whom are engaged in farming in 
this county except Homer, who is in Michigan; Laura, the wife of 
Ernest Smith; Mertie, the wife of H. C. McKelby, of Montpelier ; 
Ada; the wife of Luther Thompson ; Ona, the wife of Sheldon Munch; 
Hazel, who remains unmarried, is a graduate of the Montpelier High 
School, and is now engaged in teaching in the schools of that village. 

Politically Mr. Cummins is an earnest supporter of the democratic 
party and is an active member of the Grange. He is a stockholder 
and a member of the directorate of the Montpelier National Bank. He 
is a public-spirited man, delighting in the development of his native 
community in any way possible, and his support is not withheld from 
any laudable movement looking toward the general welfare. Because 
of his business ability, his industry and his excellent personal quali- 
ties, he enjoys the confidence and good will of all who know him. 


Jacop W. Gearwart.—The farmers of Williams County are a 
very progressive lot of men, imbued as they are with the sense of the 
importance of their calling and the necessity for their co-operation so 
as to continue to uphold the prestige of this region as an agricultural 
center. One of these men who has borne his part in the development 
of the county in this and other respects is Jacob W. Gearhart of 
Florence Township. 

Jacob W. Gearhart, who is living on his farm which is two miles 
north of Edon, was born in Florence Township, November 2, 1863, a 
son of Henry and Catherine (Koch) Gearhart, both of whom were 
born in Germany. They were brought to the United States when 
young by their parents, he, when thirteen years old, and she when four- 
teen, settlement being first made in Columbiana County, Ohio. Later 
the Gearhart family went to Stark County, Ohio, and from there 
came to Williams County and located in Florence Township. About 
the same time the Koch family came to the county and settled in 
Superior Township. The grandparents, John and Catherine’ Gear- 
hart, died on their farm, he when eighty years old, and she was eighty- 
six years of age. Henry Gearhart was their only child. 


286 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Henry Gearhart was married in Williams County by Squire Bible, 
and afterwards located on a farm in Florence Township, where he 
remained until 1873, and then moved to the farm now occupied by 
.his son, Jacob W. Gearhart, and here both he and his wife died. 
They were devout members of the German Methodist Episcopal 
Church. In politics he was a democrat. He at one time owned 190 
acres of land and was a man of large means. Of the seven children 
born to him and his wife, five survive, namely: John, who is a resi- 
dent of Edon; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Philip Goshorn, of Read- 
ing, Michigan; David, and Joseph H., who are both farmers of Flor- 
ence Township; Jacob W., whose name heads this review. 

Jacob W. Gearhart was reared on his father’s homestead, and 
attended the schools of the neighborhood, and adopted farming as his 
life work. His farm, the old homestead, is a valuable property, and 
he takes a pride in it and in having everything about it first-class in 
every respect. 

The marriage of Jacob W. Gearhart took place in Williams County, 
when he was united with Fredrika Kuttler, born in Germany, April 
12, 1865, but brought to the United States in 1867 by her parents, 
who located first in Wood County, Ohio, which they left in February, 
1880, and came to Williams County. Mr. and Mrs. Gearhart became 
the parents of the following children: Anna M., who is the wife of 
Jay Starr, of Montpelier; Edward F., who married Mabel M. Fix; 
and Ray H., who was born February 25, 1904. Mr. Gearhart is a 
democrat and served for four years as township trustee of Florence 
Township. He belongs to the Farmers’ Co-operative Association of 
Edon. 


Henry Kritt.—A prominent and highly esteemed resident of 
Edgerton, Williams County, Henry Krill is widely and favorably 
known, not only as the leading undertaker of this section of the 
county, but as an extensive dealer in furniture, being head of the firm 
of Henry Krill & Son, and as president of the Oak Manufacturing 
Company, which has established a large and successful business in 
Edgerton. A son of John Krill, he was born, April 10, 1859, in Ger- 
many, where he received his elementary education. 

Born, bred and educated in Germany, John Krill lived in the 
fatherland until 1869, when he came with his family to this country. 
Looking for a favorable opportunity to invest his comparatively lim- 
ited amount of money, he came to Williams County, and having bought 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 287 


forty acres of land in Saint Joseph Township, five miles northeast of 
Edgerton, he was very fortunate in his agricultural operations, and 
as his means increased added sixty more acres of land by purchase to 
his original farm, and continued its management until his death. He 
was a republican in politics, and as a man of sterling integrity was 
held in high respect’ throughout the community. To him and his wife, 
whose maiden name was Elizabeth Harradk, three children were 
born, as follows: William, whose birth occurred February 5, 1853, 
in Germany, is engaged in farming in Williams County; Henry, the 
special subject of this brief sketch; and Frederick, born August 22, 
1861, in Germany, is carrying on general farming in Defiance County, 
this state. 

Having become proficient in the undertaker’s art, which he began 
to study in 1875, Henry Krill embarked in the undertaking and furni- 
ture business with J. H. Miller, in Edgerton, and met with excellent 
success. Taking over his partner’s interest in the business in 1891, 
he conducted it alone for nearly thirty years, devoting his time and 
energies to his work, and having a large patronage, his services as 
an undertaker being sought throughout Edgerton and the surrounding 
country, while his dealings in furniture grew quite extensive. In 1920 
Mr. Krill admitted his son, Edwin C. Krill, to partnership with him, 
and the entire business, under the firm name of Henry Krill & Son, is 
now being carried on with characteristic success. 

Mr. Krill married, May 25, 1890, Mary Helmling, a native of 
Edgerton, and they are the parents of four children, as follows: 
Minnie M., born May 8, 1891, was graduated from the Edgerton High 
School, in which she is now a teacher, and also from the Baldwin- 
Wallace College, where she received the degree of Bachelor of Arts; 
Oscar S., born May 2, 1892; Arthur Paul, born December 16, 1893; 
and Edwin C., born September 1, 1895. Oscar S. Krill completed the 
course of study in the Edgerton High School, after which he was 
graduated from an embalming school. He now has. charge of a fur- 
niture and undertaking establishment in Wyoming, where he has a 
homestead. He married Golda De Groff. During the World war, 
he served in the medical department. Arthur Paul Krill, who is with 
Killinger & Company, of Edgerton, married Zella Beach, of Edon, 
Ohio. Edwin C. Krill, a member of the firm of Henry Krill & Son, 
served in the medical corps during the World war. He married Mabel 
Gabrial, of Edgerton. Mr. and Mrs. Krill have four grandchildren, 
Mary Alice Krill, Max Krill, Catherine I. and Martha J. 


288 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 

An active and.influential member of the republican party, Mr. Krill 
has served as treasurer of the township and corporation in which 
he resides. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows, in which he is past grand; and is a member and past 
chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. Religiously he is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is one of its official board, which 
he has served as president. A man of good business judgment, 
Mr. Krill has accumulated property of value, having a farm of 
eighty-six acres, lying a mile north of Edgerton, and has a pleasant 
home on Lynn street. 


GeorcE R. Curt, M. D.—Actively engaged in the practice of his 
profession at Edgerton, Williams County, George R. Curl, M. D., is 
a physician and surgeon of wide experience, and one who has given 
much time and thought to the study of disease and the process of 
alleviating suffering. A native of Ohio, he was born, May 1, 1884, in 
Logan County, which was also the birthplace of his father, Harrison 
Curl. . 

Harrison Curl, now living retired from active pursuits, served as 
a soldier in the Civil war for four years, and is now a member of the 
Grand Army of the Republic. He is a republican in politics, and a 
man of sterling worth and character. His wife, whose name before 
marriage was Arrena McCampbell, was born and bred in Union 
County, Ohio. Of the eight children born to their union, two are 
practicing physicians, and one is a veterinary surgeon. 

Reared on a Logan County farm, George R. Curl was educated 
primarily in the public schools of Middleburg, and after his gradua- 
tion from its high school studied for a year in the Ohio Northern 
University, at Ada. He subsequently taught school for a time in 
Logan County, and then entered the Eclectic Medical College, from 
which he was graduated in 1910 with the degree of Doctor of Medi- 
cine. Establishing himself in Edgerton in January, 1911, Doctor Curl 
practiced here continuously until June 20, 1917, when he was com- 
missioned first lieutenant in the Medical Corps of the United States 
army. On August 16, 1917, he was called to service in the World 
war, and on September 12, of that year, sailed from New York, 
reported at London, England; later was stationed at the Scottish Gen- 
eral Hospital, in Glasgow, where he remained two months. The doctor 
was then sent to Blackpool, England, where for a month he was in 
training with the Royal Army Medical Corps Department. Being then 
assigned to the Twenty-Third Division of the British Army, he went 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY _ 289 


to Italy, and for three months was on duty on the Piave. Being 
transferred to the western front, he served in France with the Fiity- 
Sixth British Division for over a year, being a regimental medical 
officer. Orders for the return of the American forces to the United 
States having been received in March, 1919, Doctor Curl joined the 
Americans at Savenay, France, and having sailed. from Brest on 
April 13, 1919, arrived in New York April 23, 1919. After spending 
six weeks in the debarkation hospital No. 1, the doctor was honorably 
discharged from the service with the rank of captain on June 16, 
1919. Returning immediately to Edgerton, he has since been suc- 
cessfully engaged in his chosen profession, his patronage being fully 
as large as before he went to France, and constantly increasing. 

Doctor Curl married, October 16, 1912, Hortense Gillis, a graduate 
of the Edgerton High School, and they have one child, Helen, born _ 
March 28, 1915. The doctor is an active member of the county and 
state medical associations. Both he and his wife are worthy mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church. Fraternally the doctor belongs to 
Edgerton Lodge No. 357, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and is 
now serving as its master. In politics he is independent, voting with- 
out regard to party prejudices. 


J. E. Brosser, D. D. S.—One of the leading dental surgeons of 
Williams County, Dr. J. E. Blosser, of Edgerton, is a close student 
of the science which he has chosen as a profession, and keeps in 
touch with the more modern methods used in dentistry. He was 
born, June 19, 1878, in Williams County, his birth having occurred in 
Superior Township, on a farm lying seven miles southwest of Mont- 
pelier, and two and a fourth miles east of Blakeslee, being a son of 
H. T. Blosser. He is of pioneer ancestry, his grandfather, Peter 
Blosser, and his great-grandfather, Christian Blosser, having been 
among the pioneer settlers of Seneca County, Ohio. 

H. T. Blosser was born, in 1847, near Fostoria, Seneca County, 
this state, and there grew to man’s estate. Receiving excellent edu- 
cational advantages when young, he taught school four winter terms 
in Defiance County, Ohio, and seven terms in Superior Township, 
Williams County, his parents having located in Defiance County in 
1866, and later moved to Williams County. Returning to Defiance 
County in 1893, H. T. Blosser lived in Farmer Township remaining 
there until 1910, when he settled in Hicksville, his present home. An 
active member of the democratic party, he served as county commis- 
sioner of Defiance County two terms. He was prominent in Masonic 


circles, belonging to lodge, chapter and council, and being a member 
Vol. 1i—19 


290 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


of Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar. His wife, whose 
maiden name was Savilla Weidler, was born and educated in Stark 
County, Ohio, her birth occurring in 1850. Four children blessed their 
union, as follows: Howard V., a well-known physician and surgeon 
of Fort Wayne, Indiana; J. E., the special subject of this sketch; 
Blaine A., of Fremont, Indiana; and Frank A., of Cleveland, Ohio. 

Spending the first fifteen years of his life in Superior Township, 
J. E. Blosser acquired his early education in the common and high 
schools of Farmers Center, and later attended the Tri-State -College 
at Angola, Indiana. Subsequently, having previously taught school 
three years in Defiance County, he entered the Ohio Dental College, 
at Cincinnati,.and after taking a course of three years was graduated 
with the class of 1903. Immediately opening an office in Edgerton, 
Doctor Blosser has since devoted his time and attention to his profes- 
sional duties, and having proved himself eminently skillful in his 
work, has built up an extensive and remunerative practice. 

Doctor Blosser married, in 1909, Jessie Willman, and they have two 
children, Dorothy, born in June, 1910; and Lois, in 1913. Identified in 
politics with the democratic party, the doctor has served ably and 
satisfactorily as mayor of Edgerton for two terms, and has been 
chairman of the township democratic committee. Fraternally he is a 
member of Edgerton Lodge No. 357, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons; of Bryan Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; of Bryan Council, 
Royal and Select Masters; and of Defiance Commandery No.. 30, 
Knights Templar. Religiously the doctor is a member of the Presby- 
terian Church, and Mrs. Blosser of the Christian Church. 


Ora E. Carvin.—Of the many industrious farmers who are the 
boast of Williams County, not a few are to be found in Center Town- 
ship, and in this class, deservedly, is noted Ora E. Calvin. Mr. Calvin 
is numbered among those, also, who have passed their entire careers 
within the boundaries of this county and who have here accepted the 
opportunities offered for success. He was born on a farm one mile 
north of the one which he now occupies, a well-cultivated tract lying in 
section 12, Center Township, two miles west of the county seat of 
Bryan, November 23, 1862, a son of B. M. and Adelia (Gilbert) Cal- 
vin, natives of Portage County, Ohio. 

Benia M. Calvin was reared to agricultural pursuits in his native 
county and as a young man removed to Williams County, where he 
passed the remainder of his life as a farmer, dying on his Center 
Township property, March 12, 1911, in the faith of the Christian 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 291 


/Church, of which he had been a lifelong member and for some years 
an elder. He was a member of the Masonic Order, in which he had 
advanced to the Knights Templar degree, and in politics was a stanch 
and unwavering republican and served efficiently in several township 
offices. His wife was born at Edinburg, Ohio, March 20, 1839, the 
youngest of a family of ten children, of whom all are deceased except 
one, Elizabeth, who is a resident of Kokomo, Indiana. Mrs. Calvin 
attended the public schools and Hiram College three years, where she 
was a pupil of James A. Garfield, who later became President of the 
United States. She was a member of the Christian Church, and died 
in that faith March 9, 1916. She and her husband were the parents 
of four children: Ora E., born November 23, 1862; an infant, born 
May 10, 1867; Marvin, born August 27, 1868; and Belle, born Febru- 
ary 14, 1871, of whom Ora E. survives. 

Ora E. Calvin was reared in Center Township, where he attended 
the district school, also being a student at the Kokomo, Indiana, pub- 
lic schools and taking a course at the Fayette Normal. He has 
resided on the farm which he now occupies since six years old and 
has made a success of his agricultural operations. His farm is well 
improved with good buildings and up-to-date equipment. Mr. Calvin 
is a member of the Knights of Pythias and is entitled to membership 
in the Sons of Veterans, his father having served for three years as a 
member of an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment during the war 
between the states and having been a member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic, holding membership in the post at Bryan. 

On May 1, 1895, Mr. Calvin married Clarissa Gaskill, the cere- 
mony being performed by the Rev. George Matthews. Mrs. Calvin 
was born July 18, 1876, in Jefferson Township, Williams County. 
Twelve children have been born to them: Mabel R., born January 2, 
1897, a graduate of the Bryan High School and now the wife of 
Walker H. Davis; Marvin Dewey, born June 8, 1898, a graduate of 
Bryan High School, is inspector with the Burroughs Adding 
Machine Company and belongs to the Masonic Order at Bryan and 
also served as superintendent of the Sunday school; Virgil H., born 
February 24, 1900; Chester G., born January 13, 1902, a member of 
the graduating class of 1920 at the Bryan High School; Edith L., 
born December 3, 1903; Mildred L., born November 12, 1905; Niagara 
L., born October 16, 1907; Kenneth, born December 28, 1909, is 
the only one deceased, he having died in infancy; Lester E., born April 
30, 1911; Marshall R., born March 15, 1914; Iva F., born February 
14, 1918; and David, born December 23, 1919. 


292 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


OrvILLeE U. Grose.—Improvement and progress may well be said 
to form the keynote of the character of Orville U. Grose, a well- 
known farmer of Superior Township and one of Williams County’s 
representative citizens, and he has not only been interested in the 
advancement of his own individual affairs, but his influence is felt in 
the upbuilding of the community which has so long been honored by 
his citizenship. The prosperity which he enjoys is the result of energy 
rightly applied and has been won by commendable qualities. 

Orville U. Grose, whose farm is located four miles northwest of 
Montpelier, was born on a farm adjoining his present home on Janu- 
ary 17, 1877, and is a son of Peter and Mary (Michaels) Grose. The 
father was a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Williams 
County, Ohio. Peter Grose was brought to Williams County by his 
father when eight years of age and here he grew to manhood ‘and 
received his education. After his marriage he located on a farm in 
Superior Township, where he lived until 1912, when he retired from 
active farm pursuits and is now living in Montpelier. He is a repub- 
lican in his political faith and he and his wife are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. They became the parents of two chil- 
dren, twins, of whom the daughter, Orpha U., died at the age of nine 
years. 

Orville U. Grose was reared on the parental homestead in Superior 
Township and received a good practical educational training in the 
district schools, later attending the Tri-State Commercial College. 
He has always followed the vocation of farming, which he has found 
profitable and to his liking, and he is well versed in every phase of 
his work. He is the owner of seventy acres of excellent land, which 
he has devoted to a general line of farming, raising all the crops 
common to this section of the country. In connection therewith, 
Mr. Grose also gives considerable attention to the raising of livestock, 
in which he specializes on Hampshire hogs and Belgian horses, breed- 
ing none but the purest of stock. He has also been very successful in 
the raising of pure-bred Plymouth Rock chickens. His farm is well 
‘improved in every respect and its general appearance is attractive to 
‘the passerby. 

On September 19, 1901, Mr. Grose was married to Blanche Ogle, 
who was born in Superior Township, Williams County, in December, 
1875, the daughter of Robert and Margaret (Hoverstark) Ogle, the 
latter of whom is dead. To Mr. and Mrs. Ogle were born five chil- 
dren, George, Alma, Blanche, Ray and Herbert. Mrs. Grose received 
a good public school education and was engaged for nine years prior 


FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE HOGUE FAMILY, 
LEVI, WARREN L., HAL WYMAN, AND 
HAL WYMAN, JR. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 293. 


to her marriage as a teacher in the public schools. She has become 
the mother of one child, Kermit, born July 4, 1902, who is a student 
in the Montpelier High School. Mr. and Mrs. Grose are members. 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Montpelier, of which he is one 
of the trustees. Politically, he gives his support to the republican party 
and maintains a public-spirited attitude towards all movements for 
the advancement of the public welfare. Because of his genial dis- 
position, business success and sterling qualities of character, he enjoys 
the esteem of all who know him. 


Warren LaRue Hocut, M. D—The medical profession in Wil- 
liams County has an able exponent in the person of Dr. Warren LaRue 
Hogue, who, in addition to handling a large and successful general 
medical practice, is the owner, superintendent and surgeon in charge 
of the Hogue Hospital at Montpelier. His reputation has far tran- 
scended the boundary of the locality of which this history treats and 
no work of the nature of the one in hand would be complete without 
a resume of his career. In every relation of life he has proved 
signally true to every trust. He possesses a strong social nature and 
by his genial and kindly attitude to those with whom he comes in 
contact he has won the confidence and regard of all. 

Warren LaRue Hogue was born in Superior Township, Williams 
County, on January 13, 1864, and is the son of Levi and Alatha Jane 
(Yoder) Hogue. The father was a native of Virginia and the mother 

was born in Seneca County, Ohio. Both came to Williams County 
’ with their parents and were married here. They had received good 
public school educations and she had been a teacher in the public 
schools. Her death occurred in 1867. They became the parents of 
two children, the subject of this sketch and a sister, Grace, who is 
the wife of Dr. L. A. Beard, of Pioneer, Ohio. After the death of 
their mother, these children were reared by their maternal grand- 
mother, who gave them living and careful attention. They attended 
the public schools and the high school at Edgerton. The subject then 
became a student in the Fayette Normal School, where he was grad- 
uated, and in 1888 he commenced the study of medicine under the 
direction of Dr. J. A. Weitz. A year later he entered Rush Medical 
College, at Chicago, and in the spring of 1889 entered the Michigan 
College of Medicine and Surgery at Detroit, where he was graduated 
in June, 1890, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He engaged 
in the practice of his profession at Blakeslee until 1893, when he 
came to Montpelier and has been here continuously since. Doctor 


294 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Hogue has given close attention to the advances in his profession and 
has taken post-graduate courses, first in surgery and gynecology in 
1894 and then in the Chicago Polyclinic in 1896. He has given special 
attention to surgery, in which he has met with pronounced success, 
gaining a widespread reputation because of his proficiency in this most 
difficult phase of his profession. In 1907 the doctor established the 
Hogue Hospital at Montpelier and through the subsequent years this 
institution has proven a most important aid to the profession in this 
community in the handling of difficult medical and surgical cases. 

Doctor Hogue is a member of the Williams County Medical Society, 
the Ohio State Medical Society, the Northwestern States Medical 
Society and the American Medical Association, as well as the Wabash 
Railway Surgeons’ Association, the American Railway Surgeons’ 
Association and the Clinical College of Surgeons of North America. 
Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
in which he has attained to the degree of Knights Templar, and he and 
his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. 

Politically, the doctor gives his support to the democratic party 
and has rendered effective service as a member of the school board. 
He is a stockholder and one of the directors of the Montpelier National 
Bank. The doctor possesses a diploma from the Clinic Laboratory of 
Surgical Technic, 1918, and is surgeon for the United States 
Employees Compensation Commission. During the World war he 
became a member of the Volunteer Medical Service Corps of the 
United States army. 

In 1897: Doctor Hogue was married to Cora Hepker, who com- 
pleted her studies in the Fayette Normal School and later had been a 
teacher in the public schools and an instructor in music. To them 
have been born four children, Halwyman, Grace L., Warren L., Jey 
and Lorin L. Halwyman, after graduating from the Montpelier 
High School, was for two years a student in the University of Michi- 
gan. He then entered the medical department of Northwestern Uni- 
versity, at Chicago, where he was graduated in 1913, with the degree 
of Doctor of Medicine. He then served as interne in the Cook County 
Hospital at Chicago, and is now engaged in the practice of his profes- 
sion at Akron, Ohio. Grace L. Hogue graduated from the Mont- 
pelier High School, after which she spent a year in Belmont College, 
at Nashville, Tennessee. She had from childhood shown a special 
talent for music and had received careful instruction in the art. She 
attended the Columbian School of Music, Chicago, where she was 
graduated in 1915, with the degree of Bachelor of Music, and she 


—— ee — ” 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 295 


then taught music one year in Houghton, Michigan. She is now the 
wife of Sidney S. Lang, who is superintendent of copper mines at 
Houghton. Warren L. Hogue, Jr., after graduating from the Mont- 
pelier High School, became a student in Northwestern University, at 
Evanston, Illinois, and the Northwest Medical School, of Chicago, 
being graduated from the former institution with the degree of Bache- 
lor of Science in 1917, and from the latter school in 1919, with the 
degree of Doctor of Medicine. He is now an interne in the Michael 
Reese Hospital. Lorin L. Hogue graduated from the Montpelier 
High School and then sperit two years in the pre-medical course at 
Ohio State University. In 1916 he joined the One Hundred and 
Thirty-Fourth United States Field Artillery, at Akron, and was sent 
to the Mexican border. From there he was sent to Chicago, where 
he was mustered out of service. Later he again entered the service 
and was sent to France as sergeant-major of the One Hundred and 
Thirty-Fourth Field Artillery. After reaching France, he left his 
regiment and attended the Artillery Training School at Somme. At 
the end of three months he received a commission as first lieutenant 
and was sent to the Third Division, which at that time was on the 
line of battle. He saw some strenuous work there and took part in 
the last fighting which occurred just prior to the armistice. He went 
into Germany with the Third Division and was assigned to a casual 
office. Subsequently he was ordered back to France and placed in 
command of Prisoners of War Camp No. 69. Later he was placed 
in charge of the American University in France, in which position he 
served until placed in command of the prisoners of war escort and 
‘superintended the return of German prisoners. He was finally ordered 
home, embarking at Brest and reaching the United States in October, 
1919. He is now city salesman for the Akron Grocery Company, at 
Akron, Ohio. 


James A, Bett.—The record of the gentleman whose name heads 
this brief sketch is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts has 
worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of responsibility 
and an enviable standing among his fellows. His life has been one 
of unceasing industry and perseverance and the honorable methods 
he has followed have won him the unbounded confidence of his fellow 
citizens of Williams County, whose interest he has at heart and has 
sought to promote when practicable. 

James A. Bell, the efficient road foreman of engines for the 
Wabash Railroad Company at Montpelier, Ohio, was born in Brook- 


296 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


lyn, New York, and is a son of W. A. and Grace (Turner) Bell. The 
father was a native of Scotland and the mother of England. They 
were reared and educated in their respective countries and were mar- 
ried in England. Mr. Bell learned the trade of a machinist in his 
native land and became an expert workman. After his emigration to 
the United States he located in Brooklyn, New York, whence he moved 
to Mattoon, Illinois, where he obtained a position as foreman in the 
shops of the Big Four Railroad. Later he went to Karns, Illinois, 
where he worked as a master mechanic, later held a similar position in 
the Big Four shops at Indianapolis, Indiana, being transferred from 
there to the shops of that company at Louisville, Kentucky. From 
there he went to Chicago, where he was master mechanic in the shop 
of the Wabash Railroad, but while there his health failed and he went 
to Denver, Colorado, were he worked as foreman in the shops of the 
Santa Fe Railroad. Having in a measure recovered his health, he 
then went to Ashley, Indiana, where he was employed as general fore- 
man, and from there went to Fort Wayne as foreman in the Wabash 
Railroad shops. While there his health again failed, and he moved 
to Taylorville, Illinois, where he spent the rest of his days. He was 
a republican in politics and was a member of the Masonic order. To 
him and his wife were born eight children, of which number six are 
living: Lillie, the wife of Charles Clark; J. W., of Taylorville, Illi- 
nois, general superintendent of the Chicago & Indiana Midland Rail- 
road; James A., the subject of this sketch; Margaret, who remains 
unmarried and lives at Decatur, Illinois; Grace, the wife of O. H. 
Ault, who is engaged in the real estate business at Bloomington, Ili- 
nois ; Catherine, the wife of E. T. Needham, superintendent of motive 
power of the Wabash Railroad. ; 
James A. Bell received his educational training in the public schools 
at Mattoon and Karns, Illinois. His first employment was with the 
DJORRFOL rR Railroad, where he learned the trade of machinist, 
following which he became a fireman on the same road, and later was 
promoted to the other side of the cab. He then transferred his service 
to the Vandalia Railroad, where he worked first as fireman and then 
as engineer, later working as engineer for the Big Four out of Louis- 
ville, Kentucky. In 1898 he became an engineer on the Wabash. Rail- 
road, remaining with that line until 1902, when he went to the Mobile 
& Ohio Railroad at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he remained about 
eighteen months as engineer. In 1904 he rejoined the Wabash and 
was sent to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he remained until 1911, when 
he came to Montpelier as road foreman of engines, in which position 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 297 


he is still serving. His is a position of much responsibility, but his 
special qualifications and his long experience have fully qualified him 
for the work and he stands high in the regard of his superiors and 
associates. 

In 1901, at Ashley, Indiana, Mr. Bell was married to Elsie Dunham, 
who was born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1883. She attended the public 
schools at Indianapolis, Indiana, Delphos, Ohio, and Frankfort, 
Indiana, completing her public school studies in the high school at 
Ashley, Indiana, where she was graduated. Mr. and Mrs. Bell have 
two children, James C. and Florence, who are students in the public 
school. 

Politically, Mr. Bell is an ardent supporter of the republican party, 
while fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Mrs. Bell is 
a member of the Presbyterian Church. In all the relations of life 
Mr. Bell has proved true to every duty. He possesses a sociable nature © 
and by his genial and kindly attitude to those about him he has won 
the respect and confidence of everyone. 


s 


Leroy ScHARTZER.—The gentleman, whose name initiates this 
paragraph, is one of the worthy native sons of Williams County, and 
we are glad to give our readers a brief review of his career, for he 
is deemed eminently worthy of representation along with the best 
and most industrious citizens of the locality embraced by this work, 
owing to the fact that he belongs to the energetic and enterprising 
class that has contributed to the later-day success of his favored 
section of the great Buckeye commonwealth. He enjoys distinctive 
prestige in agricultural circles, his practical intelligence, mature judg- 
ment and sound sense winning for him the confidence and good will 
of all with whom he has come into contact. 

Leroy Schartzer, whose excellent farm is located in Pulaski Town- 
ship, was born in Bryan, Ohio, on December 14, 1871, and is the son 
of Noah and Mary (Johnston) Schartzer, the former a native of 
Wayne County, Ohio, and the latter born on the farm now owned by 
the subject. Noah Schartzer came to Williams County with his par- 
ents, and was here reared and educated. He always followed farming 
and spent the major portion of his life on his farm in Pulaski Town- 
ship. He was a member of the Dunkard Church. To him and his 
wife were born seven children, all of whom are living, as follows: 
Leroy, the immediate subject of this review; Belle, the wife of Nathan 
Leek; Robert, of Bryan; Howard, a farmer; William, of Bryan; 
Mertie; Ray, of Bryan. 


298 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Leroy Schartzer was reared on the parental farmstead in Pulaski 
Township and received his educational training in the district schools. 
He remained at home until eighteen years of age, when he went to 
work on a neighboring farm. After his marriage, which occurred in 
1899, he lived for awhile in Superior Township, but later moved to 
Pulaski Township and took possession of the farm on which he is 
now living, and which comprises fifty-five acres of excellent land, 
which he devotes to general farming operations. He is practical and 
progressive in his methods and has achieved a splendid success in his 
efforts. Mr. Schartzer also gives some attention to the raising of 
livestock, and is a stockholder in the Farmers Grain Elevator at Bryan. 

On March 23, 1899, Mr. Schartzer was married to Nora Gilcher, 
who was born in Superior Township, Williams County, on November 
28, 1877, the daughter of Peter and Josephine (Steck) Gilcher. Her 
father was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1832 and was brought to the 
United States when about two years old. His wife was born in Han- 
cock County, Ohio, in 1835, and their marriage occurred in the latter 
county. Subsequently they came to Bryan, Ohio, where they resided 
for about ten years, and then bought a farm in Superior Township, 
this county. Mr. Gilcher died in 1884, and was survived many years 
by his widow, whose death occurred on October 22, 1915. They 
became the parents of four children, namely: Roberta, the wife of 
Guy Wisman; Charles, a farmer in Superior Township; Leona, the 
wife of M. C. Wisman, and Nora. The latter was educated in the 
district schools and the public schools of Montpelier, after which she 
became a teacher in the schools of Williams County. Mr. and Mrs. 
Schartzer have one child, Lela J., born on November 5, 1900, who 
graduated from the Bryan High School with the class of 1918. 

Mr. Schartzer is a member of the Christian Church and 
Mrs. Schartzer is of the Presbyterian Church, to which they give 
generous support. Mr. Schartzer is a republican in his political views 


and takes a public-spirited interest in the public affairs of his com- - 


munity. His life has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance 
and the systematic and honorable methods which he has followed have 
won for him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens through- 
out his section of the county. 


Joun P. FisHer.—The year 1920 finds Williams County specially 
favored in the character, ability and effective service of its board of 
commissioners, and one of the most loyal, progressive and popular 
citizens now holding office as county commissioner is he whose name 


4 
| 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 299 


introduces this paragraph and who is able to claim this county as the 
place of his nativity. Mr. Fisher was born on the farm which he now 
owns, in section 28, Pulaski Township, two and one-fourth miles south- 
east of Bryan, the county seat, and the date of his nativity was May 30, 
1874. He is a son of Benton and Lucy (Eggleston) Fisher, and of the 
other four children, one, twenty years ago, was killed by accident, 
July 11, 1899; Florence is the wife of Albert E. Ridenour; Frank E. 
is a prosperous farmer of Pulaski Township; and Harry C. is now a 
resident of the city of Toledo. Benton Fisher was born in Jefferson 
Township, Williams County, and his wife was born in the vicinity of 
the city of Cleveland, this state, a daughter of David Eggleston, who 
was engaged in the operation of sawmills, both in Ohio and Michigan, 
and who resided for some time in Fulton County, where his daughter 
became the wife of Benton Fisher, who, though a native of Williams 
County, was reared and educated in Fulton County. In 1873, in 
company with his wife, Mr. Fisher returned to Williams County, 
where he became the owner of one of the excellent farms of Pulaski 
Township, the old homestead, in section 28, being that now owned by 
their son, John P., of this review. On this farm the parents passed 
the remainder of their lives, and Mr. Fisher achieved substantial pros- 
perity through his energetic and well ordered activities as an agricul- 
turist and stock-raiser. He served three years as a member of Company 
E, Twenty-First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil war, and took 
part in many battles and minor engagements. In later years he per- 
petuated the more gracious associations of his military career by his 
active affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic. He was a 
republican in politics, served as township trustee of Pulaski Township, 
was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both 
he and his wife were earnest members of the Presbyterian Church. 

John P. Fisher passed the period of his childhood and early youth 
on the old homestead farm which was the place of his birth and which 
he now owns, and after having availed himself of the advantages of 
the public schools he attended the Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana, 
for one year. At the age of twenty years he became associated with 
the development and operation of oil wells, and with this line of indus- 
trial enterprise he continued his connection ten years. When the 
Spanish-American war was precipitated, Mr. Fisher enlisted in Com- 
pany E, Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and with his regiment he was 
in active service in Cuba, he having been a company musician at first 
and having later been transferred to the regimental band. He con- 
tinued with his regiment until it was mustered out, at Atlanta, Georgia, 


300 | HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


on May 24, 1899. After the close of this patriotic service, Mr. Fisher 
returned to Williams County, and here he gained more than passing 
prominence and success through the progressive policies which he 
brought to bear in connection with his farming operations. His farm, 
which comprises 12034 acres, is one of the well improved places of 
Pulaski Township and of the same he still maintains a general super- 
vision. He has given special attention to the breeding and raising of 
high-grade Holstein cattle, and has at the time of this writing, in the 
spring of 1920, a herd of about fifty head, the greater number being 
registered. Mr. Fisher is a member of the Farmers’ Co-operative 
Association at Bryan, is a staunch republican in politics, is affiliated 
with the United Spanish-American War Veterans, and holds member- 
ship in the Bryan lodge of Knights of Pythias. He served seven 
years as trustee of Pulaski Township, and on November 5, 1918, he 
was elected a member of the board of county commissioners. He 
assumed the duties of this office September 15, 1919, and in the 
meanwhile removed from his farm to Bryan, the county seat, where 
he is now giving much of his time to his important official duties. 

On April 8, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Fisher to 
Miss Bertha Fawney, who was born at Williams Center, this county, 
and they have two children, Helen and Marion, both of whom are 
(1920) students in the Bryan High School. 


DanrEL AvuGusTINE.—Closely identified with the agricultural 
interests of Williams County, Daniel Augustine, proprietor of Fair 
View Stock Farm, is pleasantly located in Springfield Township, 
where he is actively and profitably engaged in general farming and 
stock raising. A son of the late Joseph Augustine, he was born, 
March 31, 1862, in Seneca County, Ohio. 

Born and educated in Alsace, France, Joseph Augustine immi- 
grated to the United States in early manhood, locating first in Penn- 
sylvania. Shortly after his marriage, he came with his wife to 
Seneca County, Ohio, and lived for awhile in the vicinity of Bloom- 
ville. Coming to Williams County in 1866, he purchased the farm 
now owned and occupied by his son, Daniel, the subject of this 
sketch, and began its improvement. When ready to retire from active 
pursuits, he settled at Archbold, Ohio, and there both he and his 
wife spent their remaining days. Both were members of the Men- 
nonite Church, and he was a democrat in politics. He married, in 
Pennsylvania, Anna Youtzey, a native of that state, and of the seven 
children that were born of their union, two, John and Eliza, have 


- - —s 
ee es 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 301 
passed to the’ life beyond, and five are living, as follows: Martha, 
wife of Emil Thourot; Catherine; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Quellet; 
Daniel, and Joseph. 

But a small child when his parents removed to Williams County, 
Daniel Augustine grew to man’s estate on the home farm, acquiring 
his early education in the district schools, and being well trained under 
his father’s instructions, in agricultural science. Becoming a farmer 
from choice, Mr. Augustine farmed for three years in Fulton County, 
this state. Returning to Williams County, he assumed possession of 
his present farm of seventy-four acres, and in its management has 
found both pleasure and profit, being successful both as a general 
farmer and a stock raiser, making a specialty of breeding Chester 
White hogs. 

Mr. Augustine married, December 2, 1887, Ella Harris, who was 
born in Brady Township, Williams County, Ohio, February 2, 1865, 
a daughter of Richard and Margery (Dailey) Harris, the former of 
whom was born in Lincolnshire, England, and the latter in Tiffin, 
Ohio. Her parents located in Williams County soon after their 
marriage and spent the remainder of their lives on the farm they 
improved. Mr. and Mrs. Augustine have one child, Nora, born 
October 29, 1893. She married F. C. Gentel, and they have two 
children, Belle and Maurice. Mr. and Mrs. Gentel reside on the home 
farm with Mr. and Mrs. Augustine. Politically Mr. Augustine is a 
steadfast democrat. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, and socially belongs to the Springfield Grange. 

\ 

Joun W. Curisty.—Distinguished not only as a native-born 
citizen of Springfield Township, but as an esteemed and thriving 
agriculturist, John W. Christy is eminently worthy of representation 
in a volume of this character. He was born, November 21, 1873, on 
the farm he now owns and occupies, a son of the late John Christy. 

Born and bred in Pennsylvania, John Christy remained in his 
native state until nineteen years old. Migrating then to Ohio, he 
settled in Springfield Township, Williams County, and as soon as his 
means would warrant him in so doing, purchased a tract of land in 
that township, and by dint of persevering energy and persistent toil 
placed a large part of it under cultivation, and continued its manage- 
ment until his death. He was identified with the democratic party, 
and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Evansport. 
He likewise belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His 
wife, whose maiden name was Frances Coy, was born in Evansport, 


302 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Ohio, and died on the home farm, in Springport Township, Williams 
County. Of the eight children born into their home, two died in 
infancy, and six are living, as follows: Belle, wife of R. B. Cameron, 
M. D., of Defiance, Ohio; Walter, engaged in farming in Williams 
County; Elmer, also a farmer in this county; Flora, wife of Charles 
M. Calley; Maggie, wife of Walter Spangler; and John W. 

Receiving his early education in the district schools, John W. 
Christy became familiar with agricultural pursuits as a youth, and 
having succeeded to the ownership of the home farm, which lies 
one-half mile east of Evansport, has since carried on general farming 
with ability and success, his 160 acres of land being well improved, 
and quite productive. Interested to some extent in stock raising, he 
makes a specialty of breeding Merino sheep, a branch of industry that 
well repays him for his time and labor. 

Mr. Christy married, in 1902, Orpha Cook, and they have two 
children, namely: Vera, a graduate of the Evansport High School, and 
John L. Politically, Mr. Christy supports the principles of the demo- 
cratic party. Fraternally he is a member, and past master, of Evans- 
port Lodge No. 511, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, which he 
has twice represented at the Grand Lodge; of Northwest Chapter No. 
45, Royal Arch Masons; and of the Order of the Eastern Star, to 
which his wife also belongs. Mrs. Christy is a most estimable woman, 
and a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
Evansport. 

{ 

Horace D. Sanrorp.—One of the industrious, enterprising and 
farseeing agriculturists of Springfield Township, Horace D. Sanford 
has started out in life with fair prospects for a prosperous future, his 
energy, ability and excellent business tact having already won for him 
a noteworthy position among the successful husbandmen of this sec- 
tion of Williams County. He was born, June 29, 1891, in Springfield 
Township, on the same farm, lying two and a half miles south of 
Stryker, where the birth of his father, Nathaniel B. Sanford, occurred 
some twenty-two years earlier. 

A son of James C. and Roxanna (Clarke) Sanford, Nathaniel B. 
Sanford has spent his entire life on the old home farm, and since 
assuming its possession has managed it with characteristic ability and 
success. He married Alice M. Bayes, who was born in Pulaski Town- 
ship, Williams County, and of the eight children born of their union, 
six are living now, in 1919, as follows: Horace D., Mary, Ellis O., 
James, Roxanna and Charles H. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 303 


Laying a good foundation for his future education in the public 
schools of Stryker, Horace D. Sanford studied agriculture for a year 
in the Ohio State University at Columbus. Returning to Springfield 
Township, he rented the home farm for a year, and subsequently 
served eight months as field man for the Continental Sugar Com- 
pany, and later as traveling salesman for a fertilizer company, his 
territory including both Ohio and Indiana. When ready to locate 
permanently, Mr. Sanford purchased his present farm, in section 
34, Springfield Township, one mile north of Evansport, and each 
year has added to the improvements previously inaugurated, and 
increased its value. In addition to carrying on general farming, he 
raises fine horses, Holstein cattle and White Leghorn chickens, 
branches of agriculture in which he takes both pleasure and pride. 

Mr. Sanford married, in February, 1913, Bethel Ellis, a native 
of Illinois, and into their pleasant household two children have made 
their advent, namely: Francis D., born October 17, 1914; and Her- 
bert R., born June 22, 1917. Politically, Mr. Sanford is a staunch 
advocate of the principles of the republican party. He is a member 
of Springfield Grange No. 499, and takes great interest in advancing 
the prosperity of the organization. Fraternally he belongs to Evans- 
port Lodge No. 511, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; to Bryan 
Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons; and to Defiance Commandery 
No. 30, Knights Templar, which he has served as senior deacon. Both 
he and his wife are members of the Order of Eastern Star, arid both 
belong, religiously, to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bryan. 


Wi1am H. Scorr spent a number of years in railroad service. 
Like many railroad men he had a strong leaning toward farm life, 
and about twenty years ago he gratified his ambition in that direc- 
tion by the purchase of some land in Williams County, and has since 
occupied it and has become one of the leading agriculturists of St. 
Joseph Township. 

Mr. Scott, whose rural home is three miles southwest of Edgerton, 
was born in Jefferson Township, Wells County, Indiana, October 26, 
1859, son of John E. and Anna (Parr) Scott. His father was a 
native of Wayne County, Ohio, and his mother of Allen County, 
Indiana. They were married in Wells County, first locating near 
Ossian and later southwest of that town in Jefferson Township. 
John E. Scott on selling his farm in northeastern Indiana moved to 
Michigan and spent the rest of his days on a farm in that state. He 
was a democrat in politics. There were five children: William H.; 


304 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


John and Alva, deceased; David, who lives in Nebraska, and Joseph, 
deceased. 

William H. Scott lived in Wells County, Indiana, to the age of 
ten years, and began his education while there. He then removed with 
his parents to Michigan, and remained at home until 1874, when his 
father died. His mother then married again and removed to Iowa. 

Mr. Scott took up railroading at the age of twenty, beginning as 
a locomotive fireman, later as a brakeman, and still later as a con- 
ductor. He was in the service of the Wabash for about ten years, and 
in 1892 went with the Great Northern Railway as a passenger con- 
ductor, having a good run in the northwestern states. He remained 
in the service of the Great Northern until 1901. 

In the meantime, in 1899, Mr. Scott had bought a farm in St. 
Joseph Township of Williams County, and he has occupied it since 
1901. In 1883 Mr. Scott married Mrs. Sarah Uhlam, who died in 
1917. On July 30, 1919, he married Mrs. Sarah Reas. Mr. Scott is a 
republican and his farm home comprises 108 acres. He and his wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Butler, Indiana, 
and Mrs. Scott is identified with the Women of Wood Craft. 

Mrs. Scott’s maiden name was also Scott. She was born in 
Wayne County, Ohio, April 20, 1855, a daughter of Robert and 
Catherine (Simpson) Scott, her parents also natives of Wayne County, 
where they were married. They moved to Williams County in 1855, 
locating on a farm in St. Joseph Township where they spent the 
rest of their days, her father dying in March, 1914, and her mother 
in 1901. Mrs. Scott was one of eleven children, nine of whom 
are still living. She grew up on a farm in Williams County, and 
her first marriage was with William Lee. By that union she had two 
children: Frances M., wife of Sidney Gorbell, and Mattie, wife of 
Ed Omer of Denver, Colorado. Mr. Lee died in 1888 and later she 
became the wife of Fayette Reas. 


| 
Watpo P. Wuitney.—Because of the urgent need of greatly 
increased farm proudction that faces the world today, the operation 
of a stock farm has become almost a matter of public concern. In 
Williams County may be found enterprises of this kind that are well 
and efficiently managed and one of these is the Acco Stock Farm, 
situated four miles west of Pioneer, Ohio, which is the property of 
Waldo P. Whitney, one of the county’s representative citizens. 
Waldo P. Whitney was born in Bridgewater Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, November 11, 1866, and is a son of Thomas E. and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 305 


Lila (Ames) Whitney. The father was born in the city of New 
York and was a young man when he came to Williams County, 
although he had completed a service of three years as a soldier in 
the Civil war. He was married shortly afterward, in Bridgewater 
Township, near Montpelier, to Lila Ames, who was born in Huron 
County, Ohio, and now resides in Erie County. Thomas E. Whitney 
established himself as a merchant at Bridgewater Center, where he 
conducted a store for many years, and died there on February 18, 
1890. His three children all survive, namely: Waldo P.; Hattie, 
wife of Percy Stull, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Edwin, resid- 
ing at Reading, Michigan. 

Mr. Whitney was reared at Bridgewater Genter and attended the 
village schools, afterward taking a course in the university at Valpa- 
raiso, Indiana. When he came home he took charge of a sawmill his 
father owned and also assisted in the management of the store, early 
proving the possession of business qualities which have since been 
notably manifested. He found himself naturally interested, however, 
in agriculture, and after a farm experience of six years, bought eighty 
acres and set about building up a great stock farm. To the original 
eighty he kept adding land and now has 120 acres of some of the finest 
land for stock purposes in Bridgewater Township. He devotes it to 
standard stock and is developing Holsteins, now having twenty-two 
head of these beautiful cattle, with the valuable bull Wanda Gigis 
Hero at the head of the herd. When Mr. Whitney exhibits stock 
from the Acco Stock Farm, he finds few cattle owners to dispute 
prizes with him. 

In 1890 Mr. Whitney was married to Miss Josephine Crall, who 
was born in Williams County and was educated in the Montpelier 
schools. They have three children, namely: Dale, who is a high school 
graduate, was a soldier in training camp when the armistice was 
signed that terminated the Great war, and he is as efficiently turning 
his attention to peaceful pursuits on the farm, as he bravely assumed 
the duties of military training when the government called; Ilo, who 
is a graduate of the high school at Pioneer; and Mildred, who is yet 
in the grades. With modern methods of transportation, the family 
can enjoy the healthful life of a country home and also urban advan- 
tages at Pioneer. 

Mr. Whitney is prominent in the democratic party in county and 
township and frequently takes part in party councils, in which his 
good judgment and his wide acquaintance prove very valuable. He 
is serving in the office of township trustee, in 1910 was land appraiser, 

Vol. II—20 


306 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


for five years was personal property assessor, and for ten years was 
township clerk. He belongs to the Ancient Order of Gleaners, in 
which he has passed all the chairs, and is past chancellor of the 
Knights of Pythias lodge at Pioneer, while Mrs. Whitney is past chief 
of the Order of Pythian Sisters. 


Henry Bayes.—The City of Bryan, county seat of Williams 
County, has its full quota of men who have stepped aside from the path 
of active participation in various vocations, to let pass the younger gen- 
eration, with its hopes, visions and ambitions. In the retired colony 
of this city is found Henry Bayes, who was for many years a suc- 
cessful agriculturist of northwestern Ohio, and who now is spending 
the evening of life in comfortable retirement at his home, 446 West 
High street. 

Henry Bayes was born in Lucas (now Fulton) County, Ohio, 
August 16, 1844, a son of Thomas and Lamenta (Swan) Bayes, the 
former a native of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and the 
latter of the state of Maryland. The parents were children when 
they accompanied their respective families to Ohio, each locating first 
in Holmes County and subsequently moving to what is now Fulton 
County. Thomas Bayes located in Fulton County about 1837, first 
taking up land a mile north of Delta, which he later sold to buy 160 
acres, the present site of Wauseon. When the development com- 
pany laid out the latter city, Mr. Bayes disposed of his holdings to 
the incorporators of the town and moved to a 160-acre farm which he 
purchased about one and one-half miles west of that place. There 
he passed the remainder of his life in the pursuits of the soil, and not 
only gained material success, but also secured the confidence and esteem 
of the people among whom the active years of his life were spent. A 
republican in his political views, Mr. Bayes took an active part in the 
local affairs and wielded some influence in the ranks of his party. He 
and his worthy and estimable wife were members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church and parents of nine children, seven of whom grew 
to maturity, while three are living at this time, namely: Henry; W. F., 
whose home is near Wauseon; and Miss Diadem, who resides at 
Bryan with the subject of this sketch. 

Henry Bayes received his education in the public schools of 
Fulton County and was reared on the home farm located west of 
Wauseon. There, in his boyhood and youth, he assisted in the clear- 
ing and ditching of the land, and remained at home until his enlistment, 
June 18, 1863, in Company H, Eighty-Sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 307 


Infantry, which was assigned to the Ninth Army Corps and placed in 
the Army of the Cumberland, under General Burnside. After eight 
months of service he received his honorable discharge because of 
expiration of service, but later, in 1864, joined the home guards and 
served therewith four months. When his military career was through, 
Mr. Bayes returned to the home farm and resumed the duties of peace. 

On September 9, 1869, Mr. Bayes was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary M. Campbell, who was born in Fulton County, Ohio, 
November 7, 1851, a daughter of Reason and Temperance Campbell. 
The month following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Bayes came to 
Williams County and settled on a tract of eighty acres, located in the 
woods. Later Mr. Bayes bought forty acres additional, on which 
there was located a small house, and subsequently sold his original 
eighty acres and purchased eighty acres more, all in Pulaski Town- 
ship. Mr. Bayes continued to be engaged in farming on this property 
until 1904, and during his long residence in that community made 
numerous improvements on his farm and cut the first road from 
Springfield to his home. He was known as an energetic and progres- 
sive farmer, who took a pride in his surroundings and made the most 
of his opportunities, while personally his reputation for integrity was 
high and his standing in business circles of the best. Since 1904 he 
has resided at Bryan, where he has displayed all the elements and 
qualities that combine to make for good citizenship. 

Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bayes, seven are living: 
Alice, the wife of N. B. Sandford, of Springfield Township; Tem- 
perance, the wife of Frank Spangler, of Bryan; R. E., also a resident 
of Bryan; Lamenta, the wife of F. L. Doughten, an agriculturist of 
Center Township, Williams County; Edna, unmarried, formerly a 
teacher for ten years, but now taking a trained nurse’s course at 
Cleveland; Effie, a graduate of Bryan High School, who is serving 
as bookkeeper at Van Camp’s Condenser, Bryan; Inez, deceased, a 
graduate of Bryan High School and Michigan State Normal, who was 
the wife of A. E. Gee; and Wilda, a graduate of the Michigan State 
Normal School, who is now a teacher in the Schools of Winnetka, 
Illinois. . 

The members of the Bayes family belong to the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Mr. Bayes has always maintained his interest in the 
Grand Army of the Republic, and is a past commander of two posts, 
belonging at present to Evans Post No. 149, of Bryan. He and his 
wife are charter members of Elm Grove Grange, of which he is a past 
master. In politics a republican, Mr. Bayes has been an important 


308 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


and influential figure in his party in this locality for some years, and 
has served in public office on several occasions, having acted com- 
mendably and efficiently as township trustee for four years, as asses- 
sor of Bryan two years, and as one of the infirmary directors of 
Williams County. 


Neri B. NEwcoMEr.—One of the substantial residents of Williams 
County who has passed his entire career in this locality and who has 
devoted his efforts to farming and stock raising, is Neri B. Newcomer, 
the owner of a handsome and well-cultivated farm located in section 
9, Center Township. Mr. Newcomer’s life has been one in which 
the homely but substantial traits of industry and honesty have been 
allowed full expression, with the result that while their possessor has 
been attaining material prosperity he has at the same time been accu- 
mulating the good will and sincere respect of the people who make 
up the community in which his home is located and his activities are 
centered. 

“Neri B. Newcomer was born on a farm south of Bryan, in Pulaski 
Township, Williams County, January 6, 1870, a son of Nathaniel and 
Barbara (Brown) Newcomer. He was reared on the home place and 
in his boyhood was sent to the district schools of Pulaski Township, 
this preparation being subsequently supplemented by attendance at 
the Bryan High School and Defiance College. At the latter he took 
a commercial course, and after his graduation returned to his father’s 
farm, where he made his home until his marriage, April 14, 1892, to 
Miss Melissa C. Frederick, who was born in Wood County, Ohio, 
October 26, 1869, a daughter of John and Caroline (Freyman) Fred- 
erick. Her father was born September 4, 1844, and her mother sey- 
eral years later, and both passed their lives in Wood County, where 
they were born. Mrs. Newcomer was two years old when her father 
died, in 1871, and only three years of age when she lost her mother, 
who passed away August 22, 1872. The child was taken into the 
family of an uncle, William Freyman, with whom she lived until the 
time of her marriage, her education being secured in the district 
schools of Center Township and the Fayette Normal School. After 
leaving the latter, she taught school for three terms in Center Town- 
ship, but after her union with Mr. Newcomer her teaching career was 
terminated and they moved to a farm of 140 acres, in section 9, where 
they have since made their home. Through industry and intelligent 
direction of their affairs, Mr. and Mrs. Newcomer have prospered, 
and Mr. Newcomer is a stockholder in the First National Bank of 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 309 


Bryan and the Williams County Telephone Company. In addition to 
carrying on general farming operations, he buys, feeds and sells stock, 
a field in which he has likewise met with merited success, and in which 
he has established a reputation for both knowledge of the business and 
for sound integrity and fair and honorable transactions. Mr. New- 
comer is a republican in his political views, and has served two terms 
as a trustee of Center Township. With his family, he belongs to the 
Melbern Methodist Episcopal Church, where he is serving as a mem- 
ber of the official board. 

Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Newcomer: 
I. Loyal, born July 15, 1893, a graduate of Bryan High School, attended 
the Ohio State University for two years, taking an agricultural course, 
married Chloe Fisher, and has one child, Arline, and is now engaged 
in agricultural operations in Defiance County; Galen, born July 22, 
1895, also a graduate of Bryan High School, who attended agricul- 
tural college for three years, enlisted in the United States Army dur- 
ing the World war, and saw ten months of service in France, holding 
the rank of corporal and being a member of the military police and 
is now in partnership with his father operating the farm and feeding 
livestock: Lura V., born May 29, 1898, a graduate of the Bryan High 
School, also attended the State Normal School at Bowling Green, 
taught for three years in the public schools of Center Township, 
was married to Clinton F. Stenger, February 26, 1920, and now lives 
on a farm two miles west of Melbern; and Elwin C., born March ZA; 
1904, who is attending high school. 


Byron Artison—A well-known, active and thriving farmer of 
Springfield Township, Byron Allison is likewise identified with the 
industrial interests of this section of Williams County, having estab- 
lished an extensive draying business in Stryker, his prompt and effi- 
cient service as drayman having won him a lucrative patronage. A 
native-born citizen, his birth occurred June 30, 1867, on the farm 
which he now owns and occupies, and on which his life has been spent. 

His father, John Allison, was born and bred in Ohio, and soon 
after taking upon himself the responsibilities of a married man located 
in Springfield Township, and having purchased the farm on which his 
son now lives, was industriously engaged in tilling the soil the remain- 
der of his active life. A republican in politics, he was active and 
influential in local affairs, and served many terms as justice of the 
peace. He married, in Williams County, Ohio, Mary Casebeer, a 
native of Indiana, and they became the parents of two children, as 
follows: Frank, deceased; and Byron, of whom we write. 


310 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Brought up on the home farm, Byron Allison spent his earlier 
days in very much the same manner as most farmers’ boys, attending 
school and doing chores around the house and on the farm. Leaving 
the Stryker schools at the age of fifteen years, he started out in life 
for himself, and being ambitious, industrious, and trustworthy, he had 
no trouble in earning his livelihood. Succeeding to the ownership of 
the parental homestead, he has placed its twenty-nine acres of rich 
and fertile land in a tillable condition, and pays such excellent atten- 
tion to its cultivation that its abundant harvests amply repay him for 
his labors. 

Mr. Allison married, June 25, 1890, Lydia Mignery, a native of 
Springfield Township, and they have two children, namely: Lucille, 
who was graduated from the Stryker High School with the class of 
1920; and Consuelo, attending school in Stryker. Mr. Allison is a 
republican in politics, and takes much interest in town and township 
affairs, although he is not an office seeker. Mrs. Allison is a valued 
member of the Baptist Church. 


WENDELL P. GristER.—Owing to his connection with business and 
civic affairs of the western part of Williams County for a number 
of years, the name of Wendell P. Grisier, of Stryker, needs no formal 
introduction to the readers of this work. In a straightforward, con- 
servative manner, he has sought to perform the duties of a progres- 
sive citizen, while advancing his own interests, and his support has 
always been counted upon in the furtherance of any laudable move- 
ment having for its object the welfare of the general public. 

Wendell P. Grisier, who is engaged in the undertaking business 
at Stryker, is a native son of the county now honored by his citizen- 
ship, having been born on his father’s farm in Springfield Township, 
on August 18, 1891. He is the son of William and Margaret (Currie) 
Grisier, the former a native of Springfield Township and the latter 
of the state of Illinois. They were married in Kansas, where they 
lived for a short time, and then came to Springfield Township, Wil- 
liams County, and engaged in farming. Eventually he moved to 
Stryker and for twenty years was engaged in the furniture business 
and the direction of funerals. Eventually, however, he sold his business 
and went to Plains, Colorado, where he is now engaged in operating 
a ranch. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and he sustains fraternal relations with the Knights of 
Pythias. He is an ardent republican in his political views and while 
living here he served as a member of the village council and of the 
school board. To him and his wife were born three sons, namely: 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 311 


Orville J. was a student in Northwestern University and Greeley 
College, and is now county supervisor of schools at Rocky Ford, 
Colorado; he is-a veteran of the World war, having served in France 
with the Fourth Infantry Regiment, as a part of the Third Division; 
Wendell P., the subject of this sketch, and Walter, who lives in 
Colorado. 

Wendell P. Grisier received his education in the public schools of 

Stryker and spent his senior year at Bryan, graduating from the 
Bryan High School, and then attended the Tri-State Normal College, 
at Angola, Indiana. He then entered the Worsham Embalming School, 
where he took a complete course in that science. He worked for 
1. K. Platner, of Chicago, Illinois, a highly respected funeral director, 
and then went in as assistant to his father in the latter’s business at 
Stryker. After his father went west, Mr. Grisier engaged in the 
business on his own account and has continued the business to the 
present time. By close attention to his business and the needs and 
wishes of his patrons, he has drawn a large share of the work in his 
line, and is today numbered among the leading funeral directors in the 
western part of Williams County. 
— Mr. Grisier was married to Frances R. Brickman, a native of 
Hancock County, Ohio, and they are the parents of three children, 
Geraldine, William and Donald. Mr. and Mrs. Grisier are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Mr. Grisier gives his political 
support to the republican party. Fraternally, he is a member of 
Evansport Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Northwest 
Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons; Bryan ‘Council; Defiance Com- 
mandery No. 30, Knights Templar; of the Ancient Arabic Order 
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Toledo, Ohio; Stryker Lodge No. 432, 
Knights of Pythias, of which he is the present chancellor commander ; 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Evansport Encampment, and 
a member of Council No. 407, United Commercial Travelers. Mr. 
Grisier takes an intelligent interest in local public affairs, advocating 
and supporting every movement calculated to advance the public inter- 
ests in a material, civic or moral way, and he enjoys the good will and 
esteem of all classes. 


Henry E. Ormstrap.—The gentleman whose name heads this 
paragraph is widely known as one of the honored citizens of Stryker, 
Williams County, Ohio. He has lived in this county all his life and 
for many years was prominently identified with the educational inter- 
ests of this community, in which profession he won an enviable 
reputation, but is now engaged in the insurance business. In all the 


312 HISTORY_OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


relations of life he has commanded the respect and confidence of those 
with whom he has been brought in contact and a history of Williams 
County embracing the records of its representative citizens would not 
be complete without a brief recital of his career. 

Henry E. Olmstead is a native of the county now honored by 
his citizenship, his birth having, occurred near Stryker, in Springfield 
Township on March 13, 1866. His parents were Alva and Martha 
(Chichester) Olmstead, the former of whom was born near Saratoga 
Springs, New York, on March 28, 1827, and died on July 15, 1908, 
while his wife was born near Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, on July 
18, 1840. They came to Williams County with their respective par- 
ents and were here reared. Alva Olmstead came to Springfield Town- 
ship in 1834 and was here reared and educated, attending the district 
schools, which in that early day were somewhat primitive as to meth- 
ods and equipment. Here he followed the vocation of a farmer and 
spent the remainder of his life. He was a member of the United 
Brethren Church and was held in high repute among his fellows. To 
him and his wife were born two children, the subject of this sketch, 
and a sister Mary, now deceased, who was the wife of Alfred Betts. 
The mother of these children now makes her home with the subject. 

Henry E. Olmstead secured a good practical education in the 
district schools and in the public schools of Stryker, to which town he 
moved in 1885. His higher education was acquired at normal school, 
Valparaiso, Indiana, and at Lima College, Lima, Ohio. After the 
completion of his education he began teaching school, a profession for 
which he was eminently qualified by natural inclination, his first school 
being taught by him when eighteen years of age. He was thus engaged 
for twenty-nine years and was recognized throughout the county as 
an unusually well-qualified and successful pedagogue. For a number 
of years he was engaged as a teacher in the Stryker schools, and was 
principal of these schools for nine years, following which, for six years, 
he served as superintendent of the rural schools of Springfield Town- 
ship. He was also a member of the board of school examiners for 
twelve years. In 1914 Mr. Olmstead retired from his profession and 
since that time has been engaged in the insurance business in Stryker 
and as notary public and public administrator of estates. In these 
lines also he has been successful and has acquired some splendid prop- 
erty in Stryker, embracing his own home and seven good lots. He is 
also a stockholder in the Ohio Gas Company. 

Politically, Mr. Olmstead is a republican and has taken an active 
interest in local public affairs. At the present time he is serving as 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY als 


village assessor of Stryker and as treasurer of Stryker village and of 
Springfield Township. He gained success in one of the most exact- 
ing of all callings, his work as an educator having brought him promi- 
nently to the notice of the public, the result of which was a constant 
demand for his services where a high standard of professional excel- 
lence and required. He is a well-read, symmetrically developed man 
of scholarly tastes and studious habits, and to a marked degree enjoys 
the respect and esteem of all who know him. 


Joun T. Day.—Seven and one-half miles northwest of Bryan, in 
Center Township, Williams County, is located the well-cultivated and 
highly-improved farm of John T. Day. This property, in its substan- 
tial buildings, modern equipment and general air of prosperity reflects 
the good management and progressiveness of one of Williams County’s 
enterprising agriculturists, Mr. Day having been a lifelong farmer in 
this county, of which he is a native, having been born in Florence 
Township, April 17, 1854, a son of Thomas S. and Caroline (Bratton) 
Day. 

Thomas S. Day was born in Pennsylvania, September 8, 1818, and 
there married Miss Bratton, who had been born in the same state in 
1819. They remained in Pennsylvania until 1847, at which time they 
came to Williams County, settling on an eighty-acre farm one mile 
south of Edon, in Florence Township. While Mr. Day resided on a 
farm and carried on agricultural pursuits to some extent, he was a 
blacksmith by trade and followed that vocation throughout his life, 
being well and favorably known for many miles around. He was a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a republican 
in politics, and a man whose industry gained him prosperity, he being 
the owner of town property in addition to his farm. He and his 
wife were the parents of eight children, of whom four are living: 
Hannah E., the wife of Dan Klink, of Iola, Kansas; James G., of 
Denver, Colorado; John T.; and Mary E., the wife of Austin Fiser, 
of Edon. The parents were consistent members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church and active in church work. 

John T. Day’ was reared on the home farm in Florence Township, 
and as a boy attended the district schools. He was first married in 
1877 to Katie Freed. After her death he remained under the parental 
roof until his marriage, December 15, 1881, to Miss Jennie S. Boman, 
who was born January 22, 1860, in Wood County, Ohio, daughter of 
William and Rosabell (Eckels) Boman, and a member of an honored 
family of this locality. In the year 1835 George and Christina (Hock- 


314 HISTORY OF WIE MIAN S COUNT. 


enbarger) Boman, with their children, left Doylestown, Wayne County, 
Ohio, and journeyed to the northwestern part of Ohio, locating on a 
property which now forms the southeastern part of Blakeslee. There 
they endured the usual hardships that attended our forefathers in a 
new country, but sturdily and forcefully fought their way upward 
and won not only material independence, but the affection and esteem 
of the community. George Boman, who was a shoemaker by trade, 
was a great lover of dumb animals of all kinds, but dogs and horses 
were dearest to him. His worthy wife, who adopted the United 
Brethren faith after coming to Williams County, was unable to attend 
church for many years, but maintained her religion and was widely 
known for the beautiful manner in which she could tell the story of 
Jesus and his resurrection. The family of George and Christina 
Boman consisted of: William, Susanna, John, Mary, Sarah Jane and 
George Clark. 

William Boman remained at home a few years after attaining his 
majority, following which he worked two years for Jonas Webb and 
then went to Wood County, where he met Rosabell Eckels. One year 
later they were married and to this union there were born the following 
children: Jennie S., the wife of John T. Day, of the Edgerton com- 
munity; James W., who lives on a farm west of Blakeslee; W. H., 
of Blakeslee; Mrs. Maggie E. Favourite, of Edgerton; and C. V., who 
lives on the Jacob Aucker farm in Williams County. 

The father of the foregoing children, William Boman, resided in 
Hancock and Wood counties. On August 22, 1862, when thirty years 
of age, he enlisted at Findlay, Ohio, in Company G, One Hundred and 
Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was attached 
to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps. 
His brother, John Boman, served in the Third Ohio Cavalry. In 
1873 William Boman moved to Williams County and settled on a farm 
west of Blakeslee which was known as the old Jordan farm, and 
here carried on agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his 
active career. When unable to do farm work any longer, he moved 
to Edgerton, and subsequently to Blakeslee, where his death occurred 
in 1909, when he was aged seventy-seven years, eleven months, thir- 
teen days. His faithful and worthy wife, who died September 5, 
1912, at the age of seventy-two years, four months, twenty-five days, 
was buried at the West Buffalo Cemetery, as was also Mr. Boman, 
William and John Boman, Susanna Riley and Sarah J. Berlew. At 
the time the Bomans came from Wayne County, the family of William 
Laub also made the journey and located on a farm adjoining the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 315 


Boman farm on the east. None of the Boman children are now living, 
but of the Laubs, three sons still survive: Norman, of Edon; John, of 
Hicksville, Ohio; and George, of Blakeslee. 

Mrs. Day was thirteen years of age when brought by her parents 
to Williams County in the fall of 1873, the family locating in St. Joseph 
Township. She completed her education in the public schools of 
Edgerton and Edon and for five terms taught school. Mr. and Mrs. 
Day resided in Florence Township until 1902, at which time they 
removed to their present home in Center Township, where they have 
made numerous improvements and have come to be accounted among 
the substantial and reliable people of their community. They are active 
members of the local Grange, and have also been enthusiastic and 
helpful in their assistance of the movements of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, being members of Salem congregation, where Mr. Day has 
served as class leader. He is a republican in his political views and 
has acted as ditch supervisor four years. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Day there have been born the following children: 
Clair L.; Thomas W.; Joel E.; Maggie, the wife of Frank Engler; 
Ivan E.; J. Roger; Hershel H.; Carvin C.; Frances I.; Duane A. and 
Donald D. The children have been given good educational advantages 
and fitted for honorable positions in life. Three of the sons, J. Roger, 
Hershel H. and Carvin C. were in the United States army service 
during the World war, but only one, Carvin C., saw service in France. 
He died December 5, 1919, from the effects of injuries received during 
the windstorm at Bryan November 29, 1919. 


Ciinton O. Ficctins.—Among the enterprising and self-reliant 
men who are ably conducting the agricultural interests of Williams 
County, Clinton O. Figgins, a well-to-do agriculturist of Brady 
Township, occupies a noteworthy position, not only as a thriving farmer, 
but as one who has achieved success through his own unaided efforts. 
He was born July 28, 1874, in Brady Township, which was likewise 
the birthplace of his father, Emanuel Figgins. 

Born and reared on a farm, Emanuel Figgins naturally followed 
the vocation of his ancestors, and as a tiller of the soil labored early 
and late. Settling after his marriage on unimproved land in Brady 
Township, two and a half miles south of West Unity, he toiled with 
earnest heart and energy to clear his land, and has had the satisfaction 
of placing it in a highly productive condition, his farm now being 
among the best in the vicinity. He is an active worker in the repub- 
lican ranks, and a stanch supporter of all beneficial enterprises. He 


316 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


is a member of Brady Grange No. 2164, and both he and his wife 
belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church, being leading members 
of Fountain Chapel. Emanuel Figgins married Sophena Altaffer, who 
was born in Jefferson Township, Williams County, and they are the 
parents of six children, as follows: Fred, of West Unity, is a mail 
carrier on the Rural Free Delivery Route; Clinton O., the subject of 
this sketch; Bertha; Devilla, a farmer, living two and a half miles 
northeast of Kunkle, this county; Charles, engaged in farming three 
and a half miles southeast of Stryker; and Clifford, living on the old 
homestead. 

Living with his parents until becoming of age, Clinton O. Figgins 
attended the rural schools, and under his father’s tuition acquired a 
practical knowledge of the science of agriculture. Beginning life for 
himself with a limited capital, having but $300 to his credit, he 
was engaged in building and contracting until 1914. Wise in his 
savings, and prudent in his expenditures, he accumulated some money, 
and having purchased sixty-three acres of land in Brady Township, 
a mile and a half south of West Unity, he has since made improve- 
ments of value, having erected comfortable and conveniently arranged 
buildings, his farm in its appointments and equipments now com- 
paring favorably with any in the township. 

Mr. Figgins married, April 28, 1900, Alice M. Kosier, a native of 
Williams County, and they have two sons, George E., a graduate 
of the West Unity High School; and Willard, a junior in the same 
school. Fraternally Mr. Figgins is a member, and past chancellor, of 
West Unity Lodge No. 637, Knights of Pythias, and of the Grand 
Lodge, in which he has filled all of the offices; and a member and past 
consul, of the local lodge, Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. and 
Mrs. Figgins belong to the Pythian Sisters, in which he is past most 
excellent chief, while she is mistress of finance. A strong republican 
in politics, Mr. Figgins has never sought office, but has served as 
constable of Brady Township. 


FRANK C. Crawrorp has for thirty-five years been identified with 
the rural community of Northwest Township. A successful farmer, 
he is known as proprietor of the Cedar Lawn farm located seven 
' miles north of Edon. His interests have also extended to banking in 
his neighborhood, and he has also given of his time and influence to 
promote the welfare of schools and other public institutions. 

Mr. Crawford was born in Richland County, Ohio, December 
18, 1856, a son of John and Susana (Laser) Crawford. John Crawford 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY ay, 


was born in Pennsylvania of Irish parentage, and was married in 
Richland County, Ohio, where his wife was born. In 1876 the 
Crawford family moved to Williams County, locating in Brady Town- 
ship, and subsequently for ten years lived near Fayette in Fulton 
County. The parents then returned to Kunkle in Williams County 
where they spent the rest of their years. John Crawford was always 
active in politics, served as Justice of the Peace for sixteen years in 
Richland County and was a stanch democrat. He was also a Mason. 
He was twice married and by his first wife had six children. Susana 
Laser was his second wife and their three children were Delbert and 
Asa both of Kunkle, and Frank C. 

Frank C. Crawford grew up in Williams County, attended common 
schools and remained at home until the age of twenty-one. About 
that time he and his uncles William and John Lasar bought the first 
steam threshing outfit in the vicinity of West Unity and he was identi- 
fied with its operation for nine seasons. After his marriage in 1880 he 
located on his uncle’s farm near West Unity, remaining there five 
years, and in 1885 moved to Northwest Township where he bought 
the 120 acres comprised in the Cedar Lawn farm. He paid for the 
land through his own efforts, and also placed its improvements, and 
year after year has not only made his farm self-sustaining but has 
increased its value. He has been a successful breeder of Shorthorn 
cattle. Mr. Crawford is a stockholder in the Farmers and Merchants 
Savings Bank at Montpelier and the Farmers Banking Company at 
Columbia. 

September 12, 1880, Matilda Sanders became his wife. They 
were married at Waldron by Squire Reynolds. To their marriage 
were born five children: Elgin, born December 13, 1882, unmarried 
and at home: Blanche, born April 12, 1885, wife of Ed Dunham; 
Alta B., born August 31, 1888, wife of Urban Peck; Dale, born 
February 16, 1893, a farmer in Northwest township; and Mabel, 
born September 6, 1905. Mr. Crawford is affiliated with Edon Lodge 
No. 474 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. For many years he has 
been a leader in the democratic party in his township and is a member 
of the local school board. 


CHarLes W. CHANEY who lives five miles southwest of Montpelier 
in Superior Township was born there July 28, 1861, and has always 
lived there. He is a son of John and Mary (Lott) Chaney. The 
father was born in Richland and the mother in Seneca county. He 
came to Seneca and after they were married they located in Williams 


318 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


County. John Chaney, who entered the land where Charles W. 
Chaney now lives, was a shoemaker and worked at his trade in Mont- 
pelier. He worked at his trade two years and then moved to the 
farm. There were fifteen children in his family, six of them living 
when C. W. Chaney related the family history. 

The oldest daughter, Ann, is the wife of Isaiah Bechtol; Ellen is 
the wife of George Flumerfeldt; Mary is the wife of Sherman Leek; 
Eliza is the wife of James Fisher; Charles W. enrolls the family, 
and Clement Chaney is a resident of Montpelier. They were all given 
common school advantages, and C. W. Chaney remained at the family 
homestead until he was past eighteen years old when he went to San- 
dusky County where he farmed seven years. He came back to Wil- 
liams County and August 23, 1885, he married Clara Gunyan. She 
was born September 28, 1864, and had always lived in Williams County. 
When she was eleven she entered school in Montpelier and was 
educated there. 

When Mr. and Mrs. Chaney were married they lived three years 
on the Chaney farm, then moved to Montpelier where they remained 
one year and then they rented a farm where they lived five years. 
At that time they bought forty acres where they live today. Their 
son Willis A. Chaney served in Company E, Three Hundred 
Twenty-ninth Infantry, at Camp Sherman and he was transferred to 
the Eighty-third Division Supply Company and embarked for France 
June 12, 1918, being overseas when the armistice was signed and 
receiving his discharge April 19, 1919, spending ninety days of the 
time in a hospital. Clarence M. Chaney on first enlistment failed to 
pass the physical examination, but later passed it and was with his 
brother all through the service and was discharged July 16, 1919, 
both returning to Williams County. Blanche M. Chaney is the wife 
of Oscar Calvin, and Olive V. is the wife of Milo Patterson. Lola 
Pearl died in young womanhood. 

The Chaneys are members of Mount Zion English Lutheran Church 
and he is a member of the official board as trustee. He is a member 
of Montpelier Lodge No. 547, Free and Accepted Masons, and of 
Montpelier Chapter No. 184, Royal Arch Masons, and Montpelier 
Council No. 102, Royal and Select Masters, and he is past chancellor 
of Florence Lodge No. 502, Knights of Pythias. Mrs. Chaney is a 
charter member of the Pythian Sisters, and they are members of Sodom 
Grange. Both are members of the Lillian Chapter Order Eastern 
Star. While he had always been a democrat Mr. Chaney now votes 
with the republicans. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 319 


Witton D. McCoy—Among the strong and influential citizens of 
Williams County the record of whose lives have become an essential 
part of the history of this section, the gentleman whose name appears 
above has exerted a beneficial influence throughout the community 
where he resides. His chief characteristics are keenness of perception, 
a tireless energy, honesty of purpose and motive and everyday com- 
mon sense, which have enabled him not only to advance his own 
interests, but also to contribute in a definite way to the moral and 
material advancement of the locality where he lives. 

Wilton D. McCoy, whose attractive farm is located in Superior 
Township, was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, on March 8, 
1861, and is a son of Robert and Mary A. (Stanford) McCoy, the 
former of whom was also born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, 
and the latter in Evansburg, that state. They were married there and 
in 1865 came to Williams County, Ohio, locating three miles east of 
Edon, where they bought a farm and lived for about eight years. 
They then sold that place and bought seventy-four acres, on which 
they spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying on July 11, 
1901, and the mother on January 31, 1919. They were active members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Mr. McCoy was a republican 
in his political views. They were the parents of three children, W. D., 
the subject of this sketch, Collins S., who died in 1894, and Addie B., 
who died in 1913. 

W. D. McCoy was about four years of age when he was brought to 
Williams County, Ohio, and in the schools of this locality he secured 
his education. He remained at home until nineteen years of age, 
“when he began working on his own account, being employed by the 
month for two years. He then rented land and also bought forty acres, 
which he operated in connection with his rented land. At the time 
of his marriage in 1895 he had 114 acres and his success since then 
has been so sure that he has added to his landed holdings until he 
is now the owner of 189 acres of excellent and well cultivated land, 
practically all of which is in cultivation. In addition to a diversified 
system of farming, Mr. McCoy also gives some attention to the rais- 
ing of live stock. His farm is well improved and presents an attractive 
appearance. 

On March 28, 1895, Mr. McCoy was married to Flora Hughes, 
who is a native of Williams County and was educated in the district 
schools and the schools at Edgerton. Prior to her marriage she was 
a successful teacher in the district schools and the Montpelier public 
school. To their union have been born two sons, namely: Paul H., 


va 


320 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


born on August 4, 1896, after graduating from the high school at 
Bryan, attended the agricultural department of the Michigan State 
Agricultural College, at Lansing, Michigan, where he was graduated; 
Dale, born on August 17, 1900, after completing the high school 
course at Bryan, entered the dairy department at the Michigan 
Agricultural College, where he is still attending. 

Politically, Mr. McCoy has always been a strong supporter of the 
republican party and has served as township school supervisor. Fra- 
ternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bryan, and 
Mr. McCoy is a member of its board of stewards. He has always 
taken a deep interest in the general material and moral welfare of the 
community and has given his support to a number of enterprises of 
importance. He is a member of the board of directors of the Farm- 
ers Co-operative Grain and Supply Company and a stockholder in the 
Pulaski Grain Elevator. His life history exhibits a career of unswerv- 
ing’ integrity, indefatigable private industry and wholesome social 
relations—a most commendable career crowned with success, and he 
enjoys to a marked degree the confidence of all who know him. 


SAMUEL S. WINELAND.—In all that constitutes true manhood and 
good citizenship Samuel S. Wineland, one of the best-known and most 
substantial of Williams County residents, is a notable example and 
none stands higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the com- 
munity honored by his citizenship. His career has been characterized 
by duty faithfully done, and by industry, thrift and wisely directed 
efforts he has acquired a fair share of this world’s goods. He is a 
man of good judgment and sterling qualities of character and his 
record while serving as sheriff of his county stamped him as a man 
of fearless courage and resourcefulness. 

Samuel S. Wineland was born in Jefferson Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, on June 20, 1865, and is the son of John and Ellen 
(Oliver) Wineland, the former a native of Knox County, Ohio, and 
the latter born in Jefferson Township, this county. John Wineland 
was reared and educated in his native county, but at the age of twenty 
years he came to Williams County and located in Jefferson Township, 
where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a democrat in his 
political faith and was active in local public affairs, having served as 
treasurer of Jefferson Township. He and his wife were members of 
the Reformed Church, of which he was a trustee. These worthy par- 
ents had seven children, of whom three are living, namely: Charles O., 
of Bryan, Ohio; J. M., also of Bryan, and Samuel S. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 321 


Samuel S. Wineland was reared on the paternal farmstead in 
Jefferson Township and attended the district schools there. After 
his marriage, which occurred in 1897, he moyed to West Unity, where 
he engaged in carpentering and contracting until 1912, when he was 
nominated as the democratic candidate for sheriff of Williams County. 
At the ensuing election he was successful, being elected by a plurality 
of 692, a splendid evidence of his popularity, when the fact is taken 
into consideration that the county was normally republican by 700 and 
that he was the first democratic sheriff elected in the county in twenty- 
seven years. So satisfactory was his discharge of the duties of the 
office that in 1914 he was again chosen, this time by a plurality of 
1,892, carrying every precinct in the county but two. One contrib- 
uting factor to his greatly increased vote in the second election was 
an incident that occurred near the close of his first term. Three high- 
waymen had held up some parties, had taken their automobiles, 
together with money, jewelry and other valuables, the outrage occur- 
ring near the town of Pulaski. Sheriff Wineland promptly went 
after the bandits and, after a struggle, captured them and brought 
them to the jail. During the struggle Mr. Wineland received two 
bullet wounds, but hung onto his men until he had them safely behind 
the bars. After the expiration of his second term, Mr. Wineland 
served one term as deputy sheriff under Sheriff John Ruff, his official 
service ending on June 6, 1919. Since then he has devoted his time 
to looking after his property in Bryan and farm of ninety acres in 
Jefferson Township. He owns a comfortable and attractive home at 

No. 325 East Maple street, Bryan. 

April 13, 1897, Mr. Wineland was married to Frances Beerbower, 
who was born and reared in Jefferson Township. As a man of ability, 
sturdy integrity and usefulness, and as a citizen representative of the 
utmost loyalty, Mr. Wineland has merited the consideration of his 
fellowmen, and his life record is deserving of a place in this publica- 
tion, which touches those who have given to and sustained the civic 
and material prosperity of this favored section of the great Buckeye 
commonwealth. 


Cuar_es A. FyKE, one of the substantial men of Williams County, 
has long been associated with its agricultural interests, and since 1918 
has been a resident of Bryan. He was born in Summit County, Ohio, on 
October 21, 1852, a son of Henry and Catherine (Butts) Fyke, natives 
of Pennsylvania and New York states, respectively. 

The paternal grandfather, Jacob Fyke, brought his family to Ohio, 


and after a period spent in Wayne County, moved to Williams County, 
Vol. Ii—21 


322 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


and permanently located in Brady Township, where he became one 
of the landowners and prosperous farmers. Henry Fyke, after living 
for a time in Summit County, Ohio, moved, in 1856, to Williams 
County and bought a farm two miles south of West Unity, Ohio, 
where he lived for about ten years, and then sold his property and 
bought another farm southwest of Stryker, Ohio, in Springfield 
Township, Williams County, and here he and his wife rounded out 
their useful lives. They were consistent members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church.. In politics he was a republican. He and his wife 
had the following children: F. J., who learned the milling trade, is 
now proprietor of the Fyke Milling Company, of LaGrange, Indiana; 
Charles A., whose name heads this review; Wilbur M., who was a 
farmer of West Unity, Ohio, and at one time a teacher, died August 
29, 1920; Mary E., who is the wife of E. E. Mallory of Los Angeles, 
California; George W., who is a steelworker of Chicago, Illinois; and 
Ella, wife of John Paxton, who lives at Bryan, Ohio. 

Charles A. Fyke was reared on his father’s farm in Williams 
County, and first attended the district schools, later the Bryan Nor- 
mal School, and then, when only seventeen years of age, he began 
teaching, first for two terms in the district schools and then at Arch- 
bold, Ohio, for nine months. He then attended the high school at Ann. 
Arbor for two years, graduating in 1876; then entered the University 
of Michigan at Ann Arbor and took a two years’ course, and then 
returning home, continued to teach until 1885. In that year he bought 
a farm in Jefferson Township, Williams County, which he operated 
during the summer months, and then in the winter months he con- 
tinued to teach school. Until 1905 he continued to alternate farming 
with teaching, but then left the educational field so as to give all of 
his time to his agricultural interests. In the meanwhile he had built 
up a large dairy, and continued it until the Van Camp corporation 
began operating in Bryan, when he turned his attention to breeding 
Holstein cattle, with remarkable results, his herd delivering as high as 
105,000 pounds of milk annually. So successful has he been that he is 
still in the business. His herd has at its head a grandson of the “King 
of the Pontiacs.” Since 1918 Mr. Fyke has resided at Bryan, but 
continues to oversee the operations of his stock farm. 

On November 28, 1876, Mr. Fyke was united in marriage with Alma 
Rudisill, born on a farm in Williams County, Ohio, on November 
28, 1854, and she died on this farm on April 5, 1913, having been the 
mother of three children, namely. Glendore, who was graduated from 
the Bryan High School, died in 1912; J. Lowell, who was graduated 
the electrical department of the Ohio University at Athens, Ohio, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 323 


is assistant superintendent of the electrical department of the Allis- 
Chalmers works, Milwaukee, Wis.: and Carmen A., who is the wife of 
Alfred Tingle, now operating the dairy farm in Jefferson Township. 

On May 2, 1915, Mr. Charles A. Fyke was married to Julia B. 
Roys, who was a schoolmate of his at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. and 
Mrs. Fyke are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is 
a steward and a member of its official board. He is a member of 
the Beta Theta Pi Greek letter fraternity. In politics he is a repub- 
lican. Although he no longer operates his farm of eighty-one acres 
in Jefferson Township, which is being conducted by his son-in-law, 
he still owns it. 

Mrs. Fyke was born at Belleville on September 24, 1857, was 
reared at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a highly cultivated lady. Both 
she and Mr. Fyke stand very high in their community, and their many 
excellent characteristics are recognized and appreciated by those with 
whom they are brought into contact. 


GeorceE W. Weiner, of Kunkle, has been for seventeen years 
cashier of one of the most flourishing financial institutions for a com- 
munity of its size in Williams County. It is the ambition of many 
men to be manipulating the affairs of some great metropolitan bank, 
but if they fully realized what a splendid field there is for sound 
business and financial ability in the smaller agricultural centers, they 
would profit greatly. While Mr. Weidner might have succeeded as 
_ fully in one of the large cities as he has at Kunkle, he had the good 
sense to avoid the overcrowded metropolises and establish a house in 
a quieter community, which is a great credit to his judgment and 
ability and to the village where he is so highly honored. 

Mr. Weidner was born on a farm in Madison Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, March 21, 1870, a son of Philip and Catherine (Strong) 
Weidner, natives of Richland County, Ohio, where the former was 
born August 23, 1840, and the latter on June 25, 1846, both parents 
still surviving. Philip Weidner left the farm in 1875 and came to 
Kunkle, where he established himself in business as a merchant and 
still maintains his business house, one of the oldest in the village, and 
an institution the conduct of which has always been characterized by 
a policy of strict integrity and fair and honest representation. He 
_was the first postmaster of Kunkle and has given his aid to every 
forward movement, combining the qualities 6f merchant and citizen 
into a force for good that is well worthy of emulation. Mr. Weidner 
is at present president of the Bank of Kunkle. He and Mrs. Weidner 
are the parents of three children: George W., Homer F., who is man- 


324 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


aging the store of fhis father; and Laura, the widow of John 
Hollstein. 

George W. Kunkle was ei years of age when brought from the 
farm to Kunkle, and here he was reared to manhood and secured his 
educational training in the public schools. He received his introduc- 
tion to business methods in his father’s establishment, and when he 
was admitted to partnership the business assumed the style of P. Weid- 
ner Company, a concern in which Mr. Weidner still has an interest. 
He gave his complete attention to that business until 1903, in which 
year he became the founder of the State Bank of Kunkle, of which 
he was the first and has been the only cashier, the other officials 
being: Philip Weidner, president ; Joseph P. Arnold and J. C. Kunkle, 
vice presidents; and the foregoing gentlemen and H. F. Weidner, 
L. P. Wirtz and W. S. Clark, board of directors. Mr. Weidner has 
various other interests and is a stockholder in the poultry enterprise 
at Edon. He is actively identified with the Masonic fraternity, as a 
member of Superior Lodge No. 179, Free and Accepted Masons, 
and has been unswervingly attached to republicanism. Since early 
manhood he has been foremost in the public enterprises which have 
proved advantageous to his home locality, and is generally one of the 
most influential men in this section of Williams County. 

Mr. Weidner was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Conte 
of Kunkle, and to this union there was born one daughter, Margaret 
Conley, a graduate of the Kunkle High School, who is now the wife 
of George R. Daso. Mrs. Weidner died in 1892, and Mr. Weidner 
married Miss Jennie A. Greek, of this city, they having one daughter: 
Andea, a graduate of Tri-State College, of Angola, Indiana, who 
taught school for four and one-half terms. The second Mrs. Weidner 
died in 1907, and Mr. Weidner married Miss Grace Hostetter. 
Mr. Weidner has four grandchildren, who were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Daso. 


Martin W. VARNER.—Williams County is rapidly taking rank 
among the most progressive farming sections of Ohio, now progres- 
sive not only in the technical processes involved in modern agriculture 
but also in point of good citizenship. One of the men who have con- 
tributed toward its record in the past decade is Martin W. Varner, 
owner of Liberty Farm in Florence Township. Liberty Farm, a 
highly cultivated place of a hundred acres, is located near West Edon. 

Its owner was born April 24, 1877, in Putnam County, Ohio, son 
of Isaiah and Fannie (Landas) Varner. His parents grew up in the 
same community in Putnam County. Isaiah Varner was in the Civil 


MR. AND MRS. MARTIN W. VARNER 
AND DAUGHTER MARGARET M. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 325 


war, served all through the Union army, and was once wounded. In 
politics he is a staunch republican, affiliated with the Masonic lodge, 
and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Of ten children, eight are still living, the only one in Williams County 
being Martin W. The others are Maggie, Charles, Jacob, Jerry, 
Curtis E., Grace and Chester E. 

Martin W. Varner spent his early life on the old farm in Putnam 
County and made good use of his advantages in the common schools. 
He was married in 1906, and the following year moved to DeKalb 
County, Indiana. That was his home until 1912, when he bought 
Liberty Farm in Williams County, and in the past eight years he has 
done a great deal of development and improvement, making his farm 
a source of profit and one of the real homes of the county. While a 
general farmer Mr. Varner has given much attention to livestock, and 
is also one of the specialty crop men in this section of Williams 
County, his specialties being onions and potatoes. In the season of 
1920 he had fifteen acres planted to onions, and two acres in potatoes. 

Mr. Varner votes as a republican and his family are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Edon. Life’s heaviest cross to 
him, and a great loss to the community as well, came with the death 
of his good wife-and the companion of his youth, on May 2, 1920. 
They were married March 11, 1906. Mrs. Varner’s maiden name was 
Myrtle S. Shafer, and she was born in Putnam County, April 16, 1889, 
a daughter of Samuel and Salome Shafer. Mrs. Varner by her work 
and counsel had contributed a great deal to the success she and her 
husband enjoyed. She was a devout Christian, and during the World 
war she covered her section of the county in Red Cross and other war 
causes. Her plans and thoughts revolved about doing good and help- 
ing others. She was a wonderful housekeeper and many of her friends 
learned to appreciate her efficiency in the home and the quality of her 
hospitality. Mrs. Varner is survived by two children: Margaret M., 
born May 7, 1908, and Paul D., born November 1, 1910. The inspira- 
tion flowing from the unselfish love and devotion of the good mother 
continue to uphold the father and children as they face the tasks and 
responsibilities of life. 


Joun A. Exrmin.—A man ot integrity and worth, John A. Ehrmin 
has been an active factor in advancing the agricultural interests of 
Springfield Township, his farm, lying two milés south and six miles 
east of Bryan, being well improved and under a good state of culture. 
A native of Virginia, he was born July 13, 1856, in Harrisonburg, 
Virginia, where his early life was spent. 


326 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Elijah Ehrmin, his father, was a life-long resident of Rockingham 
County, Virginia, and his wife, whose maiden name was Justine Sand- 
ridge, was born and reared in Albemarle County, Virginia, but spent 
the later years of her life in Rockingham County. She was a member 
of the Dunkard Church, with which she united when young, and he 
was a staunch democrat in politics. Of the eight children born of 
their union, six are living in 1919, as follows: Rebecca, Virginia, Kate, 
Mary, Benjamin S. and John A. 

Brought up and educated in Virginia, John A. Ehrmin decided in 
early manhood to seek his fortune in some other locality and having 
made his way to Ohio located on a farm in Defiance County. Subse- 
quently settling in Williams County, he bought land in Springfield 
Township, as above stated, and in its management has been quite 
successful. 

Mr. Ehrmin has been twice married. He married first, in Defiance 
County, Clarissa A. Hall, who was born in Tiffin Township, that 
county, and died on the home farm, in Springfield Township, March 
22, 1887, leaving three children, namely: George A., of Toledo, Ohio; 
Gertrude M., wife of Joseph Clark; and Nellie V., wife of Thomas 
Daft. Mr. Ehrmin married for his second wife, March 23, 1888, 
Mary Harsch, of Fulton County, Ohio, who was born in 1856, on 
Kellys Island in Lake Erie. Six children have blessed their union, 
namely: Luella J., wife of Earl Peugeot; Wyatt and Willou, twins, 
the latter having died in infancy; Wyatt, now serving as postmaster 
at Stryker, Ohio, married Virgie Radabaugh; Victor V., of Stryker, 
married Catherine Spindler; and Lloyd and Floyd, twins. Enlisting 
in the World war, Victor went overseas and served in France for 
eighteen months; while Lloyd was stationed at Camp Sherman and 
Camp Harrison. Lloyd married Beatrice Garber, and they have one 
child. Floyd married Nora (Thiel) Stratton, whose husband was 
killed overseas. Politically, Mr. Ehrmin is a ‘consistent democrat. 
Fraternally, he is a member of of Evansport Lodge No. 511, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons, and both he and his wife are members of 
the Order of the Eastern Star. 


J. A. Reacre.—In touching upon the life history of J. A. Reagle, 
well-known citizen of Pulaski Township, the writer aims to avoid 
fulsome encomium and extravagant praise, yet he desires to hold up 
for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a 
true, useful and honorable life—a life characterized by perseverance, 
energy and well-defined purpose. To do this, will be but to reiterate 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 327 


the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who have known 
him long and well. 

J. A. Reagle, who, in association with W. R. Cotterman, owns the 
Lick Creek farm in Pulaski Township, Williams County, was born 
in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1848, and is the 
son of John and Emily (Houser) Reagle, both of whom also were 
born and reared in the same county. After their marriage, they 
located on a farm in their native county, where they remained for a 
time, but in 1853 he came to Williams County, Ohio, and bought the 
land on which the subject now lives. In the following year John 
Reagle brought his family to their new home and here they spent the 
remainder of their lives, the father dying in 1894 and the mother in 
1909. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
Bryan and were active in its work. The father gave his political sup- 
port to the republican party. To him and his wife were born six 
children, of which number two are ‘now living, William, of Bryan, 
and J. A., the immediate subject of this sketch. 

J. A. Reagle was about six years of age when his parents brought 
their family to their new home in Williams County and here he was 
reared and secured his education in the district schools and the public 
schools of Bryan. He remained at home until he was twenty-eight 
years of age, when he bought a farm east of Bryan, on which he 
lived for a number of years and which he brought up to a fine state 
of cultivation and improvement. After the death of his mother, 
Mr. Reagle sold that farm and bought the old homestead, on which he 
now lives. It is a fine, well-located farm and is numbered among the 
most productive farms in this section of Williams County. Mr. Reagle 
is assisted in the management and operation of the farm by his son- 
in-law, W. R. Cotterman, who, too, is an able and successful farmer. 

Politically, Mr. Reagle is an ardent supporter of the republican 
party and takes a keen interest in every movement having for its 
object the advancement of the best interests of the community. He 
and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church . 
at Bryan. 

On June 17, 1875, Mr. Reagle was married to Emily C. Frank 
and to them has been born a daughter, Carrie, who was married on 
December 21, 1899, to W. R. Cotterman, who was born in Defiance 
County, Ohio. To the latter union have been born three children: 
Mildred, Raymond and Harold, the first named being a graduate of 
the Bryan High School. All the members of this family are identified 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bryan. In addition to their 


328 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


farm interests, Messrs. Reagle and Cotterman are stockholders in 
the Farmers’ Grain Elevator Company at Bryan. They are good busi- 
ness men, hustlers in every undertaking to which they address them- 
selves and deserve the high standing which they enjoy among their 
fellow men. 


Grorce H. Howarp.—An active, enterprising and successful busi- 
ness man of Edgerton, Williams County, George H. Howard, of the 
well-known firm of Howard Brothers, has been identified with the 
automobile industry since 1909, when the firm established the first 
garage in this city. A native of New York State, he was born, August 
4, 1874, in Perrysburg, Cattaraugus County, where he spent his 
childhood days. 

His father, the late Charles W. Howard, was born in Schoharie 
County, New York. Learning the shoemaker’s trade when young, he 
followed it for awhile, and then embarked in business as a manufac- 
turer. Coming with his family to Edgerton, Ohio, in 1888, he took 
employment with the Briggs Basket Company. He married Sarah 
Hurd, a native of the Empire State, and to them four children were 
born, as follows: William C., with the Auburn Auto Company, at 
Auburn, Indiana; George H., the subject of this sketch; Roy, of the 
firm of Howard Brothers, at Edgerton; and Glenn, with the Auburn 
Auto Company, in Auburn, Indiana. 

Coming with his parents to Edgerton as a lad of fourteen years, 
George H. Howard completed the course of study in the public schools, 
and when old enough to become a wage earner began work for the 
Briggs Basket Company and was afterwards employed in a drug 
store at Edgerton, Ohio, and Spencerville, Indiana. In 1901 Mr. How- 
ard and his brother Roy purchased the hardware establishment of 
Lewis Gebhard and continued the business under the firm name of 
Howard Brothers. In 1908 this enterprising firm embarked in the 
automobile business, establishing a garage, and met with such decided 
success in the venture that in 1916 Messrs. Howard erected their 
present fine garage, and are carrying on business on a much more 
extensive scale. 

Mr. Howard married, in 1905, Pearl Wines, and into their house- 
hold four children have made their advent, namely: Opal, Clyde, Owen 
and Florence. Mr. Howard is independent in politics and has served 
as a member of the city council one term. Fraternally he is a member 
of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has taken the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 329 


thirty-second degree, and Mrs. Howard is worthy matron of the Order 
of the Eastern Star, to which they both belong. Religiously, both 
Mr. and Mrs. Howard are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 


Joun R. Martin.—The business career of John R. Martin, the 
well-known and successful farmer of Superior Township, is one that 
should encourage others to press on to greater achievements, for when 
a boy he set to work to overcome all difficulties that might lay in his 
path to success, and the high standing which he now enjoys is the 
result. Earnest labor, unabating perseverance, a laudable ambition 
and good management are the elements by which he has gained his 
present excellent standing. Mr. Martin is the owner of two excellent 
farms in Superior Township, the “Evergreen Farm,” consisting of 
eighty acres, and “Maple Lawn Farm,” comprising sixty acres. He is 
a native son of Ohio, having been born in Wyandot County, on 
September 9, 1863, and is a son of Matthew and Sarah (Miller) 
Martin. The father was a native of Maryland and the mother of 
Pennsylvania. Their marriage occurred in the latter state and soon 
afterward they came to Wyandot County, Ohio, settling on a farm, 
where they spent a number of years. They then moved to Hillsdale 
County, Michigan, where they remained until advanced ages, when 
they moved to Waldron, where their deaths occurred. They were 
faithful members of the United Brethren Church and Mr. Martin 
was an active supporter of the democratic party. Of the eight chil- 
dren born to their union, seven are living, namely: Elizabeth, the 
widow of Charles Sebring, lives in The Dalles, Washington; John R., 
the subject of this sketch; Hiram, who lives in Michigan; Luther, 
also of Michigan; Deel, the widow of Charles Kinkaid; Edith, the 
wife of Colonel Coskins, of Fayette, Ohio; Grace, the wife of Lewis 
Haues, of Fayette, Ohio. 

John R. Martin accompanied his parents on their removal to Hills- 
dale County, Michigan, and there he attended the district schools. 
From the age of sixteen years he practically made his own way, work- 
ing by the month on farms and securing a practical knowledge of 
farming and of business methods. After his marriage, which occurred 
in 1885, he came to Montpelier, Ohio, where he became section fore- 
man on the Wabash Railroad, holding that position for sixteen years. 
He then bought forty acres of land in Superior Township, to the 
improvement and cultivation of which he devoted himself. He was 
successful in his financial affairs and at length was enabled to add 


330 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNDY 


twenty acres more. Finally he bought the eighty-acre tract where he 
now lives and ever since has operated both farms. These places are 
well improved and very productive, their appearance reflecting credit 
on their owner. He carries on a general line of farming, and also 
gives some attention to the raising of livestock, in both of which lines 
he has met with excellent success. 

Mr. Martin was married on March 14, 1885, to Matilda Lantz, 
who was born in Bridgewater Township, Williams County, where she 
attended the common schools. They are the parents of one son, T. E., 
born on December 22, 1886, who attended the district schools. He 
was married to Helen Reese and they have a son. Mr. Martin has not 
only been active in his own affairs, but has also been deeply interested 
in the advancement of the general agricultural interests of the county. 
He organized the Montpelier Grange, of which he was master for 
four years, and is also master of the Williams County Pomona, con- 
sisting of the twelve subordinate Granges. He is also a member of the 
Superior Farmers’ Co-operative Association. In political affairs he 
takes an independent attitude, reserving the right to vote for the men 
and measures which meet with his approval, regardless of party 
lines. He is a fine type of the sturdy, conscientious, progressive Amer- 
ican of today, doing thoroughly and well the work that he finds to do 
and asking praise of no man for the performance of what he conceives . 
to be his simple duty. 


Homer H. Patron, M. D.—The subject of this sketch has long held . 
distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound 
mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order, supplemented by 
the rigid professional training and thorough mastery of technical 
knowledge with the skill to apply the same, without which one cannot 
hope to rise above mediocrity in ministering to human ills. In addi- 
tion to his creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting 
of professions, he has proved an honorable member of the body politic, 
rising in the confidence and esteem of the public and earning a repu- 
tation as a public spirited and enterprising citizen. 

Homer H. Patton, a successful and well-known physician aud 
surgeon at Montpelier, Ohio, was born at Crown Point, Indiana, on 
December 24, 1871, and is a son of Henry and Sarah (McHenry) 
Patton, both of whom were natives of Ohio, the father having been 
born in Trumbull County in 1842 and the mother in Holmes County 
on January 20, 1840. The latter came to Williams County with her 
parents when about fourteen years of age, the family settling about 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 331 


six miles southwest of Montpelier. Her marriage to Henry Patton 
occurred in June, 1869, and they then moved to Indiana, settling near 
Crown Point. There Henry Patton engaged in farming, and also did 
a large business as a jobber in cattle, selling his beef to Philip Armour 
when he was engaged in the retail trade. Mr. Patton died in July, 
1877, and his widow then sold the farm and returned to Williams 
County, making her home with Eli McHenry, her father. She is still 
living. To Henry and Sarah Patton four children were born, of whom 
three are still living, namely: Homer H., the subject of this sketch ; 
Della, the wife of H. J. Brannan, who lives three miles southwest of 
Montpelier; Thomas R., a druggist in Montpelier. 

Homer H. Patton was reared to manhood on a farm southwest of 
Montpelier and secured his elemental education, first in the district 
schools and finishing in the Montpelier High School. He then became 
a teacher in the public schools of Williams County, following that 
vocation for three years. In 1897, having determined to devote his 
life to the practice of medicine, he matriculated in the Michigan Col- 
lege of Medicine, at Detroit, where he was graduated in 1901 with 
the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He first located for the practice of 
his profession at Britton, Michigan, but three years later he went to 
California for the benefit of his health. Subsequently, having regained 
his health he returned east and located at Scotts, Michigan, where he 
practiced four years, and in 1909 he came to Montpelier and has 
since been engaged in the active practice of his profession here. 
Doctor Patton stands admittedly in the front ranks of Williams 
County’s professional men, possessing a thoroughly disciplined mind 
and keeping in close touch with the trend of modern thought relating 
to the calling to which his life and energies have been devoted, and he 
enjoys a large and remunerative practice throughout this section of 
the county. The doctor is a member of the Williams County Medical 
Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical 
Association. 

Doctor Patton was married to Nellie Welhaur, of London, Eng- 
land, where she was reared and educated. She is a member of the 
Episcopal Church, while the doctor attends the Presbyterian Church, 
of which he is one of the trustees. Politically, he is a democrat and 
has been active in local public affairs, having served as mayor of 
Montpelier and four years as a member of the village council. Fra- 
ternally, he is a member of Montpelier Lodge No. 547, Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons, and also belongs to the Chapter and Council of 
that order. In the life history of Doctor Patton are found evidences 


332 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS. COUNTY 


of characteristics that always make for achievement—intelligence, 
sound judgment and lofty traits—and as the result of such a life he 
has become one of the best known and most highly esteemed citizens 
of his community. 


CarLeTON S. Ror.—The story of the Bryan Press, which was 
established half a dozen years before the beginning of the Civil war 
and is one of the oldest newspapers in Northwestern Ohio, has been 
fully told in the history of newspapers elsewhere in this publication. 
This is a brief sketch of its editor and publisher, Carleton S. Roe. 

Mr. Roe was born June 27, 1864, son of William M. and Harriet 
E. (Whitman) Roe. ‘Through his father he ts of English ancestry and 
through his mother, Holland Dutch. William M. Roe was born near 
South Bend, Indiana, in 1830, and spent the greater part of his life as 
a minister of the Gospel. He died December 3, 1919. The mother, who 
was born in Mentor, Ohio, in 1833, is now living at Buchanan, 
Michigan. 

During a portion of his boyhood Carleton S. Roe lived in Southern 
Michigan, attended: high school at Dowagiac, and in 1884 went to 
Ohio, where he read law, being admitted to the bar in 1888. However, 
in the following year he entered the newspaper business, and that 
has been his real profession ever since. Mr. Roe is a republican in 
politics, is affiliated with the Masonic Order, and both individually and 
as a newspaper man has endeavored to do his bit as a good citizen 
of Bryan and Williams County. 

In October, 1888, he married Harriet H. Moore. They have two 
children, James M., born in 1890, now associated with his father in 
the newspaper business, and Marjorie, born in 1892, wife of Lane 
k. Scott of Bryan. 


CuHarLes W. Jonnson.—While Charles W. Johnson of Superior 
Township still owns farm land in Florence Township where he was 
born, February 17, 1865, he is a stockholder and officially connected 
with a number of business institutions in Williams County. He is a 
son of Simeon and Diana (Stelts) Johnson, the parents having come 
from Columbiana to Williams County many years ago. Mr. Johnson 
has one brother, Emery O. Johnson of Montpelier. 

Mr. Johnson was brought up on a farm in Florence Township and 
had common school advantages there. In 1895 he married Lillie Burns, 
who was born in Center Township, Williams County. She is a 
daughter of Allen Burns. They began life on a farm in Florence 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 333 


Township and he made his money in handling livestock. He now 
owns almost 500 acres of farm land in Williams County. He is 
vice president and a member of the board of directors of the Farmers 
and Merchants State and Savings Bank of Montpelier, and president 
of the Farmers Banking Company of Columbia in Northwest Town- 
ship and he is also a stockholder in the Montpelier National Bank. 
While Mr. Johnson has both farm and business interests, he prefers 
living in the country. 


W. W. BENNER, who is now living in well earned retirement at 
Bryan, gave many years of constructive effort in connection with 
agricultural and live-stock industry in Williams County and his civic 
loyalty and liberality were recognized in his election to the office of 
county commissioner, in which his service fully justified the popular 
confidence and esteem thus reposed in him. 

Mr. Benner was born in the adjacent county of Defiance, October 
4, 1861, and is one of the four surviving children of George W. and 
Jemima (Porter) Benner. Of the other three children it may be 
recorded that Clara is the wife of Delbert Woodcoc, of Defiance; 
Emma is the. wife of Lewis Motter, of Ney, Defiance County; and 
George is foreman in an automobile factory at Detroit, Michigan. 
The father was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, December 18, 1836, 
and his wife was born in Defiance County, where their marriage was 
solemnized, and where they continued to reside on their well improved 
farm until 1905, when they retired, after many years of earnest and 
fruitful endeavor, and established their residence at Bryan, Williams 
County, their present place of abode, both being earnest members of 
the Church of God. The father is a staunch democrat in politics, and 
has long maintained affiliation with the Masonic fraternity. 

W. W. Benner passed the period of his childhood and youth on 
the old homestead farm in Washington Township, Defiance County, 
and in the meanwhile he profited duly by the advantages afforded in 
the district schools. He continued to be associated with the work 
and management of his father’s farm until he was twenty years of 
age, when he took unto himself a wife, and prepared to establish 
a home of his own. His available cash capital was represented in the 
sum of seventy-five dollars, and after he had purchased furniture and 
other household effects for his modest home he found his capital 
reduced to less than three dollars. He had full appreciation of the 
dignity and value of honest toil and endeavor and he and his young 
wife faced the future with utmost confidence and courage. For a 


334 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


time he worked at the carpenter’s trade and he then established himself 
on a farm in Tiffin Township, Williams County, where, as a renter of 
the place, he continued his agricultural activities one year. At this 
juncture came to him a great loss and bereavement, in the death of 
his devoted wife, in 1883, and with his two little motherless children 
he repaired to the home of his parents, where he provided a woman 
to care for the children and where he himself remained until August 
of that year, when he went to the state of Kansas. He returned to 
the parental home November 8 of the same year, and soon afterward 
became a clerk in a hardware store at Evansport, Defiance County. 
In the following January he contracted a.second marriage and in the 
spring of that year he and his wife established their home on a farm in 
Williams County, his elder child being taken into their home and being 
given a mother’s care by his second wife, while the younger child 
remained with the paternal grandparents. Within a short time 
Mr. Benner purchased fifty acres of land, in Washington Township, 
Defiance County, and in this connection he assumed an appreciable 
indebtedness. He remained on this farm until the autumn of 1887, 
when he sold the property and, for a consideration of $3,000, pur- 
chased a farm of sixty acres in Pulaski Township, Williams County. 
This continued the stage of his vigorous and successful farm opera- 
tions until 1891, when he sold the property to advantage and purchased 
a place of 160 acres, in Pulaski Township. He paid for this property 
at the rate of sixty dollars an acre and assumed indebtedness for the 
greater part of the purchase price. He made excellent improvements 
on this farm and after selling it he purchased the 100 acres south. 
of Bryan, where he continued to reside until he again found it profita- 
ble to sell out. At this juncture he purchased a place of eighty acres, 
one mile south of Bryan, and there he continued his enterprising activi- 
ties as an agriculturist and stock-grower until his election to the office 
of county commissioner, when he removed to Bryan, the county seat. 
After serving one term in this office Mr. Benner was for three years 
engaged in the grocery business at Bryan, and since disposing of his 
store and business, he has here lived virtually retired. He is a member 
of the Farmers’ Co-operative Association of Williams County and in 
addition to the modern residence which he erected and occupies at 
335 North Main street, he is the owner of a business building on West 
Butler Street. Though he is a democrat in politics Mr. Benner was 
elected county commissioner in a strong republican county, which 
fact testified to his popularity in Willams County. He is affiliated 
with the Knights of Pythias and is a member of the United Brethren 
Church. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 335 


October 4, 1881, recorded the marriage of Mr. Benner to Miss 
Laura Moon, and she died in March, 1883, as previously noted in this 
review. Of the two children of this union, the elder is Grace, who is 
now the wife of John Elliott, and Maude is the wife of Lorin Herri- 
man. In 1884 Mr. Benner wedded Miss Izora Beerbower, of Williams 
County, and she passed to the life eternal June 12, 1914, being sur- 
vived by three sons: Harold, a graduate of the Bryan High School, 
is now married and is one of the progressive young farmers of Wil- 
liams County; Creston and his wife are now residents of Hillsdale, 
Michigan; and Paul and his wife own and reside upon one of the 
excellent farms of Williams County. The third marriage of Mr. Ben- 
ner was with Mrs. Anna Smith, whom he wedded in 1915, and her 
death occurred July 2, 1919. 


Atrrep F. Besancon.—Individual enterprise, which is the just 
boast of the people of Ohio, is forcefully exhibited in the career of 

_ Alfred F. Besancon, one of the substantial farmers of Pulaski Town- 
ship. He is a worthy representative of one of the old and highly 
honored families of this county, and he has so ordered his life as to 
win and retain the sincere respect of all who know him. Mr. Besancon, 
whose fine farm of eighty acres is located in section 12 of Pulaski 
Township, about four and a half miles east of Bryan, was born in this 
township on May 29, 1877, and is the son of Frederick and Catherine 
(Forderyea) Besancon. These parents were both born and reared in 
France, whence, after their marriage, they came to the United States, 
locating on the farm in Williams County, Ohio, now owned and 
occupied by their son, the subject of this sketch. Here they lived the 
remainder of their lives and both are now deceased, the father dying 
in 1907. They were members of the Baptist Church and Mr. Besan- 
con gave his political support to the republican party. They were the 
parents of seven children, namely: Abel, of Bryan, Ohio; Florence, 
the widow of Levi Lewis; Alice, the wife of Henry Shook, of Pulaski 
Township; Blanche, the wife of Cash Martin; Alfred F., the subject 
of this sketch, and Emma and Domatel, both of whom are deceased. 
Alfred F. Besancon was reared on the paternal farmstead in 
Pulaski Township and attended the schools of that neighborhood. He 
remained at home with his parents until his marriage, which occurred 
in 1905, when he started farming operations on his own account. His 
total cash capital at that time was only $100, but he went to work 
with the determination to succeed, and that he has been successful in 
his efforts is attested in no uncertain way by the splendid farm which 


336 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


is now his and from which he derives a very comfortable income. He 
owns eighty acres of excellent land, which he operates with sound 
judgment and discriminating care and, being also a good business 
manager, he has risen to an enviable position among his fellow agri- 
culturists of the western end of the county. 

On December 15, 1905, Mr. Besancon was married to Dessie 
Rosendaul, who was born in Pulaski Township on September 13, 1885, 
and educated in the common schools of that locality. Her parents 
are Benjamin and Sarah (Crawford) Rosendaul, the former born 
in Columbiana County, Ohio, on May 28, 1837, and the latter born in 
Pennsylvania on June 16, 1847. To. the union of the subject and 
wife was born one child, Avis M., on July 13, 1917. Mrs. Besancon 
is a member of the Oak Grove Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Politically, Mr. Besancon gives his support to the republican party. 
He is intensely public spirited in his attitude towards all movements 
for the advancement of the public welfare. He has given financial 
support to worthy local interests, being a stockholder in the Farmers’ 
Elevator at Pulaski. He is active and energetic in all his affairs, and 
as a general farmer and stock raiser he is practical and up-to-date. 
His property is well improved and very attractive in appearance. 
Because of his progressive and enterprising spirit and his sterling per- 
sonal character, he is deservedly held in high esteem throughout the 
community. ; 


FRANKLIN A. REYNOLDs.—One of the responsible and successful 
farmers of Mill Creek Township, is Franklin A. Reynolds, who is 
living on his valuable property in section 15, and he was born on this 
farm. The date of his birth is May 13, 1855, and he is a son of 
Benjamin and Mary A. (Dimond) Reynolds. Benjamin Reynolds 
was born in Washington County, Maryland, and his wife was also 
born in that same county, and there they were reared and married, 
almost immediately thereafter coming to Richland County, Ohio. 
Aiter eight years spent in that county they came to Williams County, 
Ohio, settling on the farm now owned by their son, Franklin A. Rey- 
nolds, and here they spent the rest of their lives. The winter previous 
to their migration, Mr. Reynolds had come to Williams County, and 
after looking things over, bought the farm. It had five acres cleared 
and on it was a log cabin which served the family for a home until 
something better could be put up. Before he died Mr. Reynolds had 
cleared off nearly all of it, and died the owner of 120 acres. He and 
his wife were church members, and kindly, Christian people. In 


— 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 334) 


politics he was a republican. They had eleven children, four of whom 
survive, namely: Jacob, who lives at Fayette, Ohio; Mary, who is the 
wife of John Martin, lives in Michigan; Henry L., who is a farmer of 
Mill Creek Township; and Franklin A., who is the youngest. 

Franklin A. Reynolds was brought up on the homestead and like 
the other boys of the neighborhood, attended the district schools during 
the winters and worked on the farm in the summers. On May 18, 1876, 
Mr. Reynolds was married to Sarah A. Held, born in Richland 
County, Ohio, on September 26, 1853, and the subsequent year was 
brought to Williams County, and was reared here and sent to the 
district schools. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds began 
conducting the homestead, and have always lived on it ever since. 
Their children are as follows: Lewis Mervin, who is a farmer of 
Fulton County, Ohio, married Cora Zolman; Effie, who is the wife of 
Winfred Towne, lives in Michigan; Charles, who is a farmer of Mill 
Creek Township, married Eulalie Hutcheson; and Robert Earl, who 
married Bonnie Dohm, is a farmer of Mill Creek Township. There 
are five grandchildren in the family. Mr. Reynolds has 206 acres in 
his farm and also owns 160 acres of land in Michigan, and is a gen- 
eral farmer and stockraiser, his homestead showing that he thoroughly 
understands his business and how to make his efforts yield him a fair 
compensation for his investment of time and money. In politics he 
is a republican and he belongs to the school board. In addition to his 
farming interests, Mr. Reynolds has branched out somewhat and owns 
a modern outfit for raising barns and does all of this kind of work 
for miles around. While he and Mrs. Reynolds have not definitely 
connected themselves with any church, they were brought up in reli- 
gious homes, Mrs. Reynolds’ parents being devout members of the 
Mennonite faith. Mr. Reynolds is a man of broad mind and sober 
judgment and his advice is often sought upon matters pertaining to 
agricultural development. 


Rocer Essi.—The Syrian name Essi has been known in the annals 
of Bryan and community since 1894, when Assid Essi located in Bryan. 
His death on June 6, 1920, leaves Roger Essi as the recognized business 
representative of the family. He is a native of Bryan. 

While Mr. Essi and his wife were both Syrian born, they did not 
know each other in that country. They were born at Mount Lebanon, 
Syria, in the empire of Turkey. In 1888 Mr. Essi came alone to the 
United States. Since that time he had known very little of his country- 
men in Syria. He was a son of Charles and Helen Essi, and they died 

Vol. II—22 


338 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


before he left that country. A brother, Charles Essi, later came to 
America, but he soon returned to Syria. Two sisters, Fannie and 
Martha always lived there. A cousin, Abdo Essi, lives in Oak Harbor, 
Ohio. A nephew, Farris Essi and his sisters, Schanes and Atour, also 
live in this country. They were all in Bryan at the funeral service 
of Assid Essi. There are no other relatives in America. 

Nemer Etoll accompanied by a sister, Minnie Etoll, came from 
Syria to the United States in 1890, and in Cleveland Mr. Etoll joined 
Mr. Essi in the fruit business, and the business arrangement continued 
there and later in Toledo and finally in Bryan, where they were many 
years in business together. On September 1, 1892, Assid Essi married 
Minnie Etoll, and while living in Toledo a daughter, Phoebe, was 
born to them. Mrs. Essi is a daughter of Azor and Sarah Etoll, who 
always lived in Syria. Beside Nemer Etoll with whom Mrs. Essi came 
to the United States, she has a brother, Thomas Etoll in Troy, N. Y., 
Wahda Etoll in Archbold, and two sisters, Magel in Edon and Wanda 
in Milwaukee. The home of Mr. Essi and his wife in Syria is about 
fifty miles from Damascus, the oldest city in the world. 

When Mr. and Mrs. Essi came to Bryan they had one child, and 
the children born in Bryan are: Roger, Isaac, Julia, Thomas, Adelle, 
Margaret, Philip and Helen. When Essi and Etoll dissolved their 
business relation, Mr. Essi bought the property now occupied by the 
Bryan Ice Cream Parlor, and just six years from the day of the 
formal business opening of this place occurred the death of Mr. Essi. 
For some years failing health had detained him from active business 
and his son, Roger, has represented him. 

Phoebe Essi is a graduate from the Lucas County Hospital as a 
nurse, and she is in the employ of the City of Toledo in the depart- 
ment of Public Health and Welfare. Julia is a graduate of the 
Ft. Wayne Business College and holds a responsible position as 
stenographer in Bryan. Roger and the brothers are known to the 
community in connection with the Bryan Ice Cream Parlor. 
All the Essi children have received common school advan- 
tages in Bryan. While the parents have always spoken the Syrian 
tongue in the home and the children all understand it, none of them but 
Roger speak it. They all learned English in the public schools, and 
while their mother understands it, she speaks the Syrian language 
to them. 

Assid Essi became a full fledged American citizen, July 12, 1900, 
and from that time on he and his family have been entitled to all 
of the rights and privileges of a naturalized citizen. Mr. Essi secured 


— lS a 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 339 


his naturalization papers through the Williams County courts, the cer- 
tificate issued to him saying that he was a native of the empire of 
Turkey, and that he had in all respects complied with the laws of the 
United States relating to the naturalization of aliens. He declared on 
his oath before said court that he would support the Constitution of 
the United States. In this oath Mr. Essi renounced all relation to 
any foreign Prince, Potentate or Sovereignty, and particularly to 
Abdul Hamid, the Sultan of the Empire of Turkey. 

Mr. Essi cast his first vote in the presidential election in 1900, 
voting with the republican party and aiding in the election of the 
lamented William McKinley. The family are communicants in 
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, and Mr. Essi lies buried in Fountain 
Grove Cemetery. His death caused the first vacant chair in the house- 
hold. The residence property on North Portland Street and the 
business property left to the family had been accumulated by strict 
economy and close application to business since the family located in 
Bryan. The Essi children know no other home or country. They 
are American citizens. 


A. F. Norris.—In the thriving and enterprising little city of Pio- 
neer, Ohio, a citizen whose name is associated with honorable business 
dealings and substantial public service is A. F. Norris, justice of 
the peace. For many years Mr. Norris has contributed of his abilities 
in maintaining civic law and order in his community, while as a real 
estate and insurance man he has identified himself with legitimate 
transactions of importance. He is a native of his present place of 
residence, born August 12, 1858, a son of Col. P. W. and Jane K. 
(Cottrell) Norris. 

P. W. Norris was born at Palmyra, New York, August 17, 1821, 
and as a young man went to Fulton County, Ohio, where he married 
Miss Cottrell, a native of Massachusetts, born in 1824. About the 
year 1843 this young couple started overland into the undeveloped 
country of Madison Township, Williams County, Mr. Norris cutting 
the road and his bride driving the ox-team. Finally they reached 
their destination, which was in the heart of the forest, and there 
Mr. Norris built the first cabin to be erected in this vicinity. He 
served as agent for eastern land interests, a capacity in which he sold 
numerous farms, and in the meantime continued to develop his own 
property. Likewise he became one of the prominent and influential 
men of his community and was one of the early representatives of 
' Williams County in the Ohio Legislature. When the Civil war 
came on he offered his services to the Union, was accepted, and served 


340 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


four years, during which time he rose to the rank of colonel. Returning 
to his Williams County home, he remained here until 1866, when he 
went to Detroit and purchased 1,900 acres in a 10,000-acre tract of 
land, starting a town named Norris which is now a part of the City of 
Detroit. Mr. Norris lived there until 1873, when he went to the West, 
and in 1875 was appointed the first superintendent of Yellowstone Park. 
After the assassination of President Garfield, he was replaced in that 
post and went to Kentucky, where his death occurred while he was still 
in the employ of the United States Government. He was a stanch repub- 
lican in politics. Mr. and Mrs. Norris were the parents of six children, 
of whom three are living: E. A., a resident of Joplin, Missouri; Aurelia 
A., the wife of William Ennis, of Detroit, Michigan; and A. F. 

A. F. Norris was reared at Pioneer until he was fifteen years of 
age, at which time he accompanied his father to the West, subsequently 
returning to this locality, where he was variously employed for a time. 
Eventually he embarked in the real estate and insurance business, 
which he has followed ever since, and making a specialty of collec- 
tions. He has built up a good business ‘and is highly considered by 
his associates and acquaintances. Mr. Norris allies himself with the 
republican party, and has been active in civic affairs. At present he 
is serving efficiently as justice of the peace, and in former years was 
deputy under seven different sheriffs of Williams County, including 
Bert Annis and Charles Graham. He is a past master of Pioneer 
Lodge No. 441, Free and Acccepted Masons and his religious connec- 
tion is with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

In 1882 Mr. Norris was married at Romeo, Michigan, to Ida M. 
Tuckburry, and they lived at that place until 1897, when they came to 
Pioneer. Five sons were born to this union: Archie C., color sergeant 
of the One Hundred and Nineteenth Field Artillery during the great 
World war, who was at the front for eighteen months, during which 
time he was wounded twelve times, gassed, and gunshocked, now a 
resident of Waco, Texas; Dr. Ralph A., a graduate of the Homeo- 
pathic Medical College of Detroit, who as a member of the United 
States Army Medical Corps was stationed at Battle Creek, Michigan, 
during the period of the war, and is now engaged in practice as a 
physician and surgeon at Detroit; Walter R., of Pioneer, Ohio; 
E. A. and H. T., who live at Detroit. Archie C. and Dr. Ralph A. 
Norris are thirty-second degree Masons, and Walter R. is a member 
of the Blue Lodge of Masonry. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 341 


Curist L. Scott.—The gentleman, a brief review of whose life 
and characteristics the reader’s attention is herewith directed, is among 
the favorably known and representative citizens of this section of 
Ohio, where he has spent practically his entire life. He has by his 
indomitable enterprise and progressive methods contributed in a 
material way to the advancement of his locality and during the course 
of an honorable career has met with success as a general farmer and 
stock raiser, being a man of energy, sound judgment and honesty of 
purpose. 

Christ L. Scott, whose splendid farm of 120 acres is located in 
Superior Township, three miles west and one-half mile north of 
Montpelier, was born in Crawford County, Ohio, on August 15, 1860, 
and is the son of Solomon and Rosanna (Lutz) Scott. Both of these 
parents were born in Pennsylvania, whence they came to Crawford 
County, Ohio, where they were married and settled on a farm. In 
1862 they came to Williams County, settling on farming land in 
Florence Township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. 
Solomon Scott was a republican in his political faith and stood high 
in the esteem of the communities where he lived. To him and his 
wife were born eleven children, of which number eight are living, 
namely: Amelia, the wife of Cyrenius Dowling; Jane, the widow of 
George Knecht; Laura, the widow of Jonas Anspaugh; Ellen, the wife 
of Chauncey Motherman; Harriett, the wife of Henry Alleman; John, 
of Florence Township; Christ L., the subject of this sketch, and 
Amanda, the wife of Joseph Anspaugh. 

Christ L. Scott was but one year of age when his parents brought 
their family to Williams County and he was reared on the parental 
farmstead in Florence Township, securing his education in the district 
schools and remaining at home until his marriage. They then estab- 
lished their home on the old Scott farm, where they remained for 
five years, when he bought 120 acres of land in Superior Township, 
where he now lives. The place is well improved and under Mr. Scott’s 
able direction it has always been a very productive farm. He devoted 
himself to its cultivation until 1917, when he moved to Montpelier, 
but in March, 1919, he again took up his residence on the farm. In 
the meantime he had secured a splendid residence in Montpelier, 
which he still owns. He has always carried on general farming opera- 
tions, in connection with which due attention was given to the raising 
of livestock. Success attended his efforts and the prosperity which 
he enjoys has been honestly earned solely by his own efforts. 


342 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


On May 25, 1883, Mr. Scott was married to Mary M. McElhenie, 
who was born in Steuben County, Indiana, on February 8, 1866, the 
daughter of Thomas and Christena E. (Shook) McElhenie, the former 
a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. This union was 
blessed in the birth of four children, namely: Pearl B., who is a gradu- 
ate of the Tri-State Normal College, at Angola, Indiana, was engaged 
as a teacher in the public schools for nine years, and is now the wife 
of Howard L. Haney, of Ada, Ohio; Harvey, who was married to 
Clara Henry; Zada, who graduated from the Montpelier High School, 
became the wife of M. M. Frizbie and she is deceased; Lula F., who 
completed the common school course, died aged eighteen years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Scott are members of the United Brethren Church 
at Montpelier, in which they take an active interest. In his political 
views Mr. Scott is an earnest republican and has taken a deep interest 
in local public affairs, having rendered appreciated service for seven 
years as a member of the school board. A man of keen discernment, 
sound judgment and integrity of character, he has long held the confi- 
dence and esteem of all who know him. 


Aaron C. Brown.—Aaron C. Brown has passed the psalmist’s 
span of threescore years and he has been a resident of Williams 
County since he was a youth of twenty years. He long held prestige 
as one of the vigorous and successful exponents of farm enterprise in 
the county, and though he is now living retired, he still remains on his 
well improved homestead farm on the south line of Williams County 
in Pulaski Township. He has not only contributed his share to the 
industrial progress of Williams County but has won the prosperity 
that is the fitting reward for years of earnest and honest endeavor. 
He is a younger brother of Eli Brown, another of the patriarchal 
citizens of the county and of the latter personal mention is made else- 
where in this volume. 

Aaron C. Brown was born in Hancock County, this state, Jan- 


uary 7, 1844, and is a son of Henry and Catherine (Keller) Brown, 


whose marriage occurred in Hancock County and who passed the 
closing years of their lives in Williams County, the father having 
been born in Richland County, Ohio, and the mother, who was born 
in Europe, having been young when she came to the United States. 
* Both were devout members of the Dunkard Church and ordered their 
lives in accord with the simple and the noble faith which they thus 


professed. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 343 


As previously stated, Aaron C. Brown was twenty years of age 
when he came to Williams County, and here the long intervening years 
have been marked by his successful association with agricultural 
industry. He is loyal to all civic duties and responsibilities and gives 
his allegience to the republican party. The maiden name of his wife 
was Celestia Sherky, and they have four children: Monford L. is a 
resident of Dallas, Texas; F. M. resides in the state of Michigan; 
Bliss maintains his home in California and Robert S. resides in Texas. 


Frank Lantz.—Agricultural land is the foundation of all lasting 
prosperity, and good land is an anchor to the windward against the 
day old age approaches, facts which are being acknowledged more and 
more by the intelligent men of the country and confirming them in 
their intention to remain in the rural neighborhoods. One of the 
men who is engaged in conducting his farms of 132 and 160 acres 
of valuable land, is Frank Lantz, one of the prosperous men of 
Williams County. 

Born on the farm owned by his grandfather Backus, on August 
8, 1880, Frank Lantz is a product of this locality, and its public 
schools gave him his book education, but his training in practical 
matters, especially those connected with farming, was gained under 
the supervision of his careful father. 

Frank Lantz is a son of Jacob and Emma (Backus) Lantz, the 
former of whom was born in Crawford County, Ohio, on October 
11, 1839. On July 4, 1869, he was married, his wife having been 
born in Bridgewater Township, a daughter of Clark and Susannah 
Backus, natives of Connecticut and England, respectively, and early 
settlers of Bridgewater Township. Jacob Lantz and his wife had 
four children born to them, namely: Fred, who is a farmer of Bridge- 
water Township, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Maude, 
who is the wife of Adam Yoder of Pioneer, Ohio; and Frank, whose 
name appears at the head of this review ; and Len Lantz, of Montpelier. 
Jacob Lantz was one of the heavy landowners of the township, his 
acreage amounting to about 1,500 acres. His death occurred on 
June 27, 1915, and his wife died on October 7, 1907. 

Frank Lantz married Nora Knapp, in September, 1900. She was 
born in Florence Township, Williams County, Ohio, September 3, 
1882, a daughter of Lester Knapp, who was born in Morrow.County, 
Ohio, December 16, 1842, and died March 11, 1905. During the war 
between the states, he served in the Union army, enlisted in Company 
E, One Hundred and Ninety-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on Octo- 


344 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ber 7, 1862. He re-enlisted and served to the end of the war and 
was honorably discharged on December 21, 1865. He married Mary E. 
Cain, who was born in Florence Township, Williams County, Ohio, 
March 25, 1848, and died December 14, 1919. Mr. and Mrs. Lantz 
have one son, Jacob F., who was born on September 29, 1903. In 
politics Mr. Lantz is a democrat, and he is a man who, while not 
_ forcing himself on the public, has always contributed freely to the 
civic undertakings of his community, and taken an intelligent interest 
in its future. 


Cuartes R. AMEes.—The house of Ames, of which Charles R. Ames, 
deputy clerk in the office of the Probate Judge, is a representative, 
is now in the fifth generation of its history in Williams County. While 
the Ames family has been on American soil since Colonial days, the 
original members coming from Scotland, the local family had lived 
for many years in Wayne before locating in Williams County, Ohio. 
James, the grandfather of C. R. Ames, was the first to come to Wil- 
liams County, although he was followed by his father, William Ames. 

It was in 1851 that James Ames located in Williams County, and 
since that time the family has been known in Bryan and the sur- 
rounding country. William Ames and his son, James Ames, were 
residents of Wayne County and Alva Ames, father of C. R. Ames, 
was born September 18, 1847, in Wayne and was four years old 
when his father located in Williams County. James Ames married 
Margaret Maxwell in Wayne County. They had five children: 
Harvey, Alva, James, Harmon and Mary Ann. Alva Ames, who died 
August 22, 1919, and lies buried in the family burial plot in Schiffler 
Cemetery, looked backward and forward over two generations. His 
grandparents and his grandchildren lived in Williams County. 

Alva Ames married Jennie Beeler and to them was born one son, 
Bert W. Ames, and two daughters who died in infancy. The wife 
died in 1881, and March 23, 1883, Mr. Ames married Mrs. Ella Miller 
Supple. She is a daughter of William and Margaret (Fleck) Miller, 
and is a native of Bryan. Their children are: Charles R., Dora, 
Irvin and Alva E. Ames. The older brother, Bert W. Ames, grew up 
with them, and in enrolling the family, C. R. Ames said: “There 
are five of us.” 5 

On November 8, 1906, Charles R. Ames married Nora Kumnick.. 
She is a daughter of Frederick and Marie Kumnick, the family coming 
in 1871 from Germany. They live in Defiance County. Their children 
are: Margaret, Frederick, Emma, Louis, Nora (Mrs. C. R. Ames), 
and Ernst. Mr. and Mrs. Ames have one son: Herbert K. Ames. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 345 


C. R. Ames was educated in the Bryan public schools, and his 
first business experience was in Bryan clothing stores as a salesman. 
For some time he was local agent for the American Express Company, 
and in 1911 he entered the civil service as a rural mail carrier, leaving 
the mail wagon—the post office on wheels—for U. S. military service 
on the Mexican border. He went to Texas in June, 1916, remaining 
' there until the following April. 

When the United States Government declared war against Germany, 
April 6, 1917, Mr. Ames was already in the service. He went into 
training for overseas service at Camp Sheridan, but on account of 
physical disabilty he was discharged from the army, and April 13, - 
1918, he became an assistant mustering officer at Columbus. When 
the armistice was signed and Mr. Ames returned to Bryan, he again 
went on the rural mail wagon. On December 1, 1919, Mr. Ames 
entered the office of the Williams County probate judge as clerk, 
and since that time he has been probationary officer, having to do 
with unfortunate and delinquent children brought before the juvenile 
court. As probation officer it became his duty to advise young persons 
who are not surrounded with proper parental and home influences. 

In its early history, members of the Ames family were identified 
with the German Reformed Church, and Mrs. C. R. Ames is a 
communicant in the English Lutheran Church in Bryan. The family 
vote has always been cast with the republican party. Bert W. Ames 
served two successive terms as sheriff of Williams County. Harvey 
and Alva Ames were Civil war soldiers from Williams County. Bert 
W. Ames was in the ED American war, and C. R. Ames gave 
two years to his country’s services incident to the World war. He 
is Commander of Charles E. Arnold Post No. 284 of the American 
Legion, and is always active in local military community affairs. 
While he was not overseas in military service, he had his part in 
“Keeping the Home Fires Burning,” and Charles E. Arnold Post 
has its share in the annual memorial service in the cemeteries of 
Williams County. 


J. M. Bri, who lives on a farm in Superior Township, three 
miles from Montpelier, was born in that community May 12, 1864, a 
son of John and Sarah J. (Cahney) Brim. Their children are: Esther 
A., the wife of Edward C. May; Mary M., wife of William Jones; 
George A., a farmer in Superior Township, and J. M. Brim, who 
enrolls the family. The father, John Brim, enlisted in 1863 as a 


346 HISTORY OF WIELIAMS COUNTY 


soldier in the Civil war. He died of the measles while in the service. 
The mother afterward married Samuel Schaull. 

The children in the Brim family all-had common school advan- 
tages, and J. M. Brim, who was the youngest son,. remained with his 
mother until he was twenty-one when he embarked in business for 
himself. From the time he was sixteen years old he worked by the 
day and the month for others. On January 14, 1890, Mr. Brim 
married Dora Dean, who was born December 31, 1863, in Northwest 
Township, Williams County. When she was a child her parents 
removed to Defiance County and she was educated there. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brim were married in Defiance County and for 
fifteen yeats they lived on a rented farm in Williams County. They 
bought the place where they live in 1914 in Superior Township. 
Mr. Brim is a charter member of Lodge No. 502, Knights of Pythias, 
at Blakeslee. There were sixty-six members and only five are living 
there today. They died or moved away. Mrs. Brim is a member of 
the Pythian Sisters, and as past chief she has attended the Grand 
Lodge. Mr. Brim is a member and past worthy president of the Eagles 
in Montpelier. 

Mr. Brim is a member of the Montpelier Co-operative Association. 
He is a stockholder and a member of the board of directors of the 
Superior Building and Loan Association. He is a breeder of 
grade Holstein cattle and has some fine cattle at the farmstead in 
Superior Township. He has other high-grade livestock. 

Forrest C. and Homer J. Brim were both in the World war and 
did overseas service. They were together in all of their military 
experience, enlisting in May, 1918, and being discharged in July, 1919, 
having spent almost a year in France and Germany. They were in the 
Seventh Corps of the One Hundred and Fifty-Fifth Ambulance Com- 
pany. They were educated in the Montpelier High School. Homer J. 
Brim is at home and Forrest C. is in Detroit. A sister, Mabel M., 
is between them in age, and she is the wife of Harley Faber. She 
has one child, Darell Faber. Charles J. Brim is the fourth child and 
the youngest of the family, and he has graduated from common 
school. 


ArtuHur L. Stivinc.—The vital interest of the whole community 
in the success of agriculture as the great basal industry is now uni- 
versally recognized and the farmer of today is given a position of 
recognized dignity and importance. This distinction has been earned 
by the farmers the whole country over, but especially is it true in a 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 347 


state like Ohio, where agriculture has received special attention since 
the first settlements, and one of thé counties which has played a 
distinctively important part in this work is Williams. Arthur L. 
Stiving of Madison Township is one of the aggressive farmers and 
stock raisers of the county, who can always be depended upon to 
live up to the best ideals of his locality, and his success is regarded as 
amply earned. 

Arthur L. Stiving was born on a farm near his present one in 
Madison Township, on January 31, 1878, a son of Jacob and Ella 
(Yocum) Stiving. Jacob Stiving was born in Richland County, Ohio, 
on August 23, 1847, and Mrs. Stiving was born on the old Yocum farm 
in Madison Township on October 28, 1856. The children born to Jacob 
Stiving and his wife were as follows: Arthur L., who was the eldest ; 
Cornelius, who is a farmer of Southern Iowa; and LeRoy, who is a 
farmer of Western Kansas. Jacob Stiving is still living, and making 
his home in Madison Township. 

Growing up on his father’s farm, Arthur L. Stiving was early 
taught to make himself useful, and he received the educational train- 
ing afforded by the district schools. After his marriage in 1904 
Mr. Stiving bought 160 acres of land and commenced operating it 
and has remained on it ever since. All of his stock is of a high grade 
and he is specializing in Percheron horses. 

On December 7, 1904, Arthur L. Stiving was united in marriage 
with. Bertha Dohm, who was born in Amboy Township, Hillsdale 
County, Michigan, on February 12, 1883, and she, too, was brought 
up on a farm and attended the district schools. Mr. and Mrs. Stiv- 
ing have three children, namely: Margaret, who. was born on Febru- 
ary 25, 1908; Robert, who was born on August 23, 1910, and Richard, 
who was born on June 16, 1919. They are members of the Progres- 
sive Brethren Church. In politics he is a democrat, although aside 
from casting his vote for the candidates of his party he does not take 
any active part in public affairs. In addition to his farm Mr. Stiving 
has interests at Kunkle, Ohio. His character is one that createst 
respect and invites friendship with the best people of his community, 
and his standing in it is conspicuously high. 


AxBert W. AMES is contributing, in his native county, his due 
quota to the prestige of the one “universal” automobile, as he is agent 
at Bryan for the Ford automobiles and also conducts the Ford service 
station in this vital little city. He was born on a farm near Bryan, 
August 30, 1878, and is a son of Alva and Jennie (Beeler) Ames, 


348 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


the latter of whom died when her son Albert W., of this review, was 
only three years old, he being the one survivor of the three children. 
Alva Ames was born in Williams County, September 19, 1847, and 
was a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of the 
county. He became one of the prosperous exponents of agricultural 
industry in his native county and here continued to maintain his home 
until his death, August 22, 1919. Upon the death of his mother Albert 
W. Ames was taken into the home of one of his uncles, and his early 
experience was gained in connection with farm operations, the while 
he profited duly by the advantages offered in the public schools of his 
native county. He was twenty years of age at the inception of the 
Spanish-American war in 1898 and promptly gave evidence of his 
youthful patriotism by enlisting as a private in Company E, Sixth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which command he was thereafter in 
active service in Cuba. He continued in service thirteen months and 
was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, his honorable discharge hav- 
ing been received after he returned with his regiment to Ohio. In 
1902-3 Mr. Ames served as deputy sheriff of Williams County, and 
in November of the latter year he was elected sheriff, an office of 
which he continued the incumbent five years and in which he gave 
a most efficient administration, though at the time of his election he 
was the youngest sheriff in the entire State of Ohio. After his retire- 
ment from office he became the owner of a one-fourth interest in the 
business of the Cox Showcase Company, with which he continued his 
connection three years, the company having been then reorganized 
and its manufacturing headquarters removed to the State of Missouri. 
Thereafter Mr. Ames was for five years owner of a half interest in 
the Carolines Hardware Company, of Bryan, and since March, 1919, 
he has been the sole owner of the Ford sales and service station at 
Bryan, in which he had previously held a partnership interest. He is 
also a stockholder in the Williams County Ice Company and is one of 
the progressive and popular business men of his native county. His 
political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is promi- 
nently identified with the time-honored Masonic fraternity, in which 
he is past master of Bryan Lodge No. 215, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons; a member of Bryan Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons, 
and Bryan Council No. 101, Royal and Select Masters; besides which 
he has completed the circle of the York Rite through receiving the 
chivalric degrees in Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, 
at Defiance, of which he is past thrice illustrious master. Both he and 
his wife are affiliated with the adjunct organization, the Order of the 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 349 


Eastetn Star, in which Mrs. Ames is past worthy matron of the 
chapter at Bryan. 

On December 31, 1903, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ames 
to Miss Sylvia A. Smeltz, and they have one child, Roger P., born 
June 22, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are active communicants of the 
English Lutheran Church in Bryan. 


Mrs. EvizaBeTu J. Norricx is one of the noteworthy women of 
Williams County and a real pioneer. At the age of eighty-eight, still 
in command of her faculties, she has recollections that stretch back 
over past epochs into the very earliest pioneer events in this section. 

Mrs. Norrick, who is the widow of Samuel Norrick, bore the 
maiden name of Elizabeth J. Davis. She was born in Ohio and soon 
after her birth her parents moved to Pennsylvania, but after a short 
residence came to Williams County if 1845 and located a mile east 
and a mile north of Montpelier. It was in that locality she grew up. 
She became the wife of Samuel Norrick, who some years later enlisted 
as a Union soldier and gave up his life as a sacrifice to the cause. 

Mrs. Norrick attended an old log cabin schoolhouse as a girl and 
her early training was only in the rudiments. After her marriage she 
moved to Hicksville, Defiance County, but nine months later they 
returned to Williams County and Mrs. Norrick has lived in Northwest 
Township since 1856. Two of her children are still living, John Nor- 
rick and Ellen, wife of John Petrie, of Hillsdale County, Michigan. 

Mrs. Norrick has been actively identified with the United Brethren 
Church for over forty years. Besides her two children she has six 
grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. 

Mrs. Norrick, when she came to Williams County, saw Montpelier 
when it consisted of two log and two frame houses. At West Buffalo, 
twelve miles southwest of Montpelier, was a gristmill, and her family 
and many of their neighbors went to this mill on horseback or with 
ox teams. 


SaMUEL FaRLEE.—AlIthough he now lives in Montpelier, Samuel 
Farlee was born October 19, 1872, in Northwest Township, Wil- 
liams County. He is a son of Henry and Anna E. (Mathias) Farlee, 
who were pioneers in Northwestern Ohio, the father a native but the 
mother came from Pennsylvania. They were married in Ohio and 
lived for many years on a farm in Northwest Township, finally selling 
it and locating four and one-half miles northwest of Montpelier. He 
died there while Mrs. Farlee died in the home of her son, George W. 


350 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Farlee. They were members of Eagle Creek Methodist Episcopal 
Church and were always active in any forward religious movements 
of their day and generation. 

Henry Farlee was a republican, and his son has the same ool 
conviction. They had five children: George W. Farlee, of Superior 
Township; Catharine, wife of Ora Brown, of Ashtabula County; 
Jane, wife of Frank Allman, of Superior Township; Caleb, a resident 
of Montpelier, and Samuel Farlee, who relates the family history. 
He was six years old when his parents removed frorm Northwest to 
Superior Township, and until he was eighteen years old he was in the 
district school whenever in session and worked on the farm for his 
father. 

When he was eighteen years old Mr. Farlee went to Kansas 
where he rented a farm for two years and then bought eighty acres of 
land, but one year later he sold it and returned to Williams County. 
He worked awhile for others and finally engaged in farming for him- 
self. On December 27, 1899, Mr. Farlee married Clara O. Richards 
of Williams County. She is a daughter of John and Sarah (Nye) 
Richards, the parents both natives of Ohio. They removed to Wil- 
liams County and lived in Superior Township. They were mem- 
bers of Mount Zion Lutheran Church, and there were four children: 
Clara O. (Mrs. Farlee); Ida, wife of S. S. Isenhart, of Detroit ; 
William, living near Nettle Lake; and Lottie, wife of Otis Myers, of 
- Montpelier. John Richards died in 1902, and Mrs. Richards lives in 
Montpelier. 

Samuel Farlee is republican in his political affiliation, and is 
always interested in the problems confronting the country. Mr. Far- 
lee owns two farms in Williams County. He has 120 acres in Supe- 
rior Township and eighty-five acres where he lives near Montpelier. 
He is selling the latter and retiring from farm life after years of hard 
labor. They are locating in Montpelier. The time comes in many 
families when the labor question causes them to change their plans, 
and when aman and woman have worked and saved for many years 
they are entitled to a life of quiet where they may enjoy themselves 
without working all of the time. 


Grorce F. Gott, Sr—A prominent agriculturist of Williams 
County, and an extensive landholder, George F. Goll, Sr., has con- 
tributed his full share in promoting the agricultural and business 
interests of Springfield Township, and is now living in Stryker, hav- 
ing an attractive home on North Defiance street. A son of Peter F, 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 351 


and Mary A. Goll, he was born October 22, 1862, in German Town- 
ship, Fulton County, Ohio. 

Born February 8, 1834, in France, a country far across the seas, 
Peter F. Goll was less than three years of age when he came with 
his parents to this country, locating in November, 1836, in Brady 
Township, Williams County, Ohio. Growing to manhood in Williams 
County, he was well drilled in the various branches of agriculture 
while young, and after his marriage bought land in German Township, 
which was located in that part of Williams County that is now 
included within the limits of Fulton County. He purchased 138 acres 
of land in this township, and was there prosperously employed in 
mixed husbandry until 1899, when he removed to Stryker, where his 
death occurred, February 9, 1915. He was a republican in politics, 
and a consistent member of the Lutheran Church. He married, April 
24, 1861, Mary A. Goll, who was born in Brady Township, Williams 
County; Ohio, November 15, 1841, and died on the home farm, in 
German Township, Fulton County, in 1886. 

Brought up on the home farm in German Township, Fulton County, 
George F. Goll, Sr., acquired a practical education in the rural schools, 
and as a boy assisted in the labors incidental to life on a farm. Con- 
tinuing on the home farm after his marriage, he had the general man- 
agement of it until 1899, when he assumed possession of his present 
home in Stryker, Williams County. Mr. Goll has owned 685 acres of 
Jand, but has disposed of a part of it, owning now not only the original 
parenta! estate, but enough more good farming land to make 500 
acres. 

Mr. Goll married, February 24, 1887, Emilie C. Goll, who was 
born, September 26, 1867, in Brady Township, Williams County, 
Ohio, where her parents, J. G. and Catherine (Renaud) Goll, have 
spent their entire lives, the birth of her father having occurred 
March 16, 1843, and that of her mother on August 27, 1848. Mr. Goll 
is a republican in politics, and both he and his wife are members of 
the Lutheran Church at Stryker. Two children have been born of 
the marriage of Mr..and Mrs. Goll, namely: George F., Jr., born 
September 5, 1888; and Florence E., born August 15, 1891. George 
F. Goll, Jr., was graduated in 1910 from the School for the Deaf 
Mute, and subsequently married Pearl Le Crone, who was graduated 
from the same school in his class, and they have one son, Frederic L., 
born September 30, 1919. Florence E. Goll married Charles L. Lonys, 
and they have two boys, Kenneth G. and Charles L. Lonys, Jr. 


352 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Witiiam H. Knepprer.—An organization that has proved of much 
economic and commercial value and importance in Williams County 
is the Farmers’ Co-operative Grain and Supply Company, with head- 
quarters at Bryan, the county seat, and the active direction of its sub- 
stantial business is vested in Mr. Knepper, who is the company’s 
efficient and popular manager, and who has been a resident of Wil- 
liams County since his boyhood. He was born in Perkins County, 
Nebraska, December 7, 1889, and is a son of Guy H. Knepper, who 
came with his family to Williams County in 1894 and established his 
home on a farm about midway between Bryan and Montpelier. He 
is numbered among the representative exponents of farm industry in 
the county and is serving in 1920 as a valued member of the board of 
county commissioners. 

William H. Knepper was five years old when the family home was 
established in Williams County and was reared to adult age on the 
home farm, in Superior Township. He profited fully by the advan- 
tages afforded in the public schools, including the high school at Edon, 
and thereafter he continued his studies in the Tri-State College at 
Angola, Indiana, besides completing a business course in the well 
ordered educational institution maintained at Winona Lake, that state. 
After his graduation in this institution he became associated with his 
father in the operation of the grain elevator in the Village of Edon, 
where later he engaged in the wholesale hay and grain business, which 
he still successfully continues at that place. On April 1, 1919, Mr. 
Knepper was manager of the Farmers’ Co-operative Grain and Supply 
Company at Bryan. He also continues in the general supervision of 
his substantial business in the buying and shipping of grain and hay 
at Edon. 

Mr. Knepper is an active worker in the local ranks of the repub- 
lican party, he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church at Edon, and he is past master of Edon Lodge No. 474, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, is a member of the Royal Arch 
Masons and Royal and Select Masters, with which he maintains active 
affiliation. 

At Bryan Mr. Knepper has secure status as one of the vital and 
progressive young business men of Williams County, and his popu- 
larity is fully shared by his wife. 

In 1914 Mr. Knepper wedded Miss Helen Hathaway, daughter 
of Dr. Albert Hathaway, a leading physicion at Edon, in which village 
she completed the curriculum of the high school, thereafter taking a 


i 
} 


HISTORY, OF WiILEIAMS*- COUN iY Soa 


college course and also receiving a thorough musical education. Prior 
to her marriage she had been for some time a popular teacher in the 
public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Knepper have one son, Max Albert, 
who was born December 23, 1915. 


Hon. Rottanp J. CuristmMAN.—A young man of practical ideas, 
native ability and sound conceptions of public duty, is Rolland J. 
Christman, who is ably filling the officé of mayor of Bryan, Ohio. 
Accepting this office with a deep sense of responsibility, Mayor Christ- 
man is devoting himself to municipal problems, and is giving the 
people a clean, vigorous administration that is helpful to business and 
beneficial to every reputable city interest. 

Rolland J. Christman was born July 19, 1884, at Berwick, in 
Seneca County, Ohio, a son of Philip and Rachel (Sprow) Christman. 
The father of Mayor Christman was born May 18, 1859, in Lucas 
County, Ohio, and was three years old when his parents moved to 
Fulton County, where he grew to maturity. He married Rachel Sprow, 
who was born June 11, 1858, at Berwick, Ohio, and three sons were 
born to them, namely: Philip D. and Rolland J., both residents of 
Bryan; and Lewis G., residing at Toledo. Mr. Christman and his 
wife settled on a farm in Seneca County, on which they resided four 
years, in 1885 moving to Archbold, in Fulton County, and a year later 
to Bryan. In 1889 Mr. Christman purchased a gristmill and for 
eighteen months operated it under the firm name of the Christman- 
Miller Company, then took over Mr. Miller’s share and the business 
was continued for twenty years under the style of the Christman 
Brothers. Up to December 18, 1918, the mill was operated under the 
name the Christman Milling Company. This mill had become a land- 
mark in this section and great regret was felt when the property was 
destroyed by fire on December 18, 1918. The mill has not been rebuilt 
and Mr. Christman has lived retired since his loss. He is-one of the 
older Masons of the county and belongs to Bryan Lodge, Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons, and Northwest Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch 
Masons. Both he and his wife are members of the German Reformed 
Church at Archbold, and are held in respect and esteem in that city. 

Rolland J. Christman was three years old when his parents came 
to Bryan and the greater part of his subsequent life has been spent in 
this beautiful Ohio city. Here he attended school, continuing from 
the grades through the high school, then accepted employment at the 
Christman elevators. Ambitious to try his fortune away from home, . 
he then went to Akron and worked for a time in a rubber factory, and 

Vol. 1I—23 


354 HISTORY OF Will iAMS ‘COUN 


afterward, for about two years was employed as a motorman on the 
Toledo & Interurban Railway. He returned then to Bryan and was 
associated with the Christman Milling Company until the plant was 
destroyed by fire. Mr. Christman made a good impression on his fellow 
citizens and it is quite a long distance back since they began to elect 
him a member of the city council and when he had six years to his 
credit, they decided to elect him mayor. This was accomplished 
November 4, 1919, by his republican friends, and he assumed the 
duties of office on January 1, 1920. 

Mayor Christman belongs to Bryan Lodge, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons, also Bryan Lodge No. 221, Knights of Pythias, of 
which he is past chancellor. Personally Mayor Christman has many 
friends for he is genial, kind and generous and very approachable. 


Mrs. Ernora FE, FusseELMAN.—Mrs. Fusselman was born in 
Williams County, Ohio, a daughter of Daniel Farnham, who was for 
many years actively identified with the leading interests of Edgerton, 
contributing his full share towards advancing its agricultural, mercan- 
tile and financial prosperity. Having obtained a good education in the 
public schools of Edgerton, and acquired an excellent knowledge of 
domestic arts under her mother’s wise instructions, she married, 
October 6, 1875, Adrian O. Fusselman. 

Born in New York State, Daniel Farnham came to Williams 
County, Ohio, as a young man, and having entered a large tract of 
land in St. Joseph Township in 1832, returned to his old home, and 
when he came back to this county brought his mother and two sisters, 
and immediately began the pioneer task of redeeming a farm from its 
primeval wildness. In 1840 he married Caroline Sawyer, a daughter 
of Prescott Sawyer, who settled near Bryan, Ohio, in 1838, when 
she was a young lady. She was accomplished in the manifold duties 
of the household. Settling after his marriage on Fish Creek, he 
remained there until 1870, when he established himself in business at 
Edgerton. He subsequently sold a one-third interest to Eli A. Farn- 
ham and became head of the firm of D. Farnham & Company. He 
was one of the founders of the first bank established in Edgerton, a 
financial institution that was afterwards merged into the Edgerton 
State Banking Company. A republican in politics, he served eighteen 
years-as justice of the peace. He was liberal in his religious views, 
and was an active and consistent member of the Universalist Church. 

Eleven children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel 
Farnham, four of whom were living in 1920, as follows: Eli A., 


— 


HISTORY OF.WILLIAMS COUNTY 355 


president of a bank in Butler, Indiana; Ella A., wife of Stephen Reed, 
of Edgerton; Elnora E., the subject of this sketch; and Inez, widow of 
Charles Porter, of California. 

Six children were born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Fusselman, 
namely: Mabel E., a graduate of the Edgerton High School, served 
seven years as deputy probate clerk of Williams County; Gorden F., 
who died in infancy; Genevieve, also a high school graduate, is the 
wife of Edward F. Hilbert; Paul F., who was graduated from the 
Edgerton High School, the Ohio Northern University and the Detroit 
University of Law, is an attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Federal 
officer; Marion V., a high school graduate, married John F. Sher- 
wood, of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Doris, who was graduated from the 
Edgerton High School, also International Business College of Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, and is now in the employ of the Wabash Railroad 
Company at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mr. Fusselman was a member of 
Edgerton Lodge No. 357, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and 
of Bryan Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; he was also a member of the 
Order of the Eastern Star, of which Mrs. Fusselman is a past worthy 
matron, both of them having been charter members of the local chap- 
ter of that order. Mrs. Fusselman is a stockholder in the First 
National Bank of Bryan, and has other property of value. 


W. Wier anp WeLpon G. WeEIcLE.—The true western spirit of 
progress and enterprise is strikingly exemplified in the lives of such 
men as W. Wier and Weldon G. Weigle, two of Williams County’s 
native sons, who are successfully engaged in farming and stock raising 
in Superior Township. Their success has been won honestly by per- 
sistent industry and the exercise of sound judgment, while at all 
times they have been actuated by the highest motives and the best of 
principles, so that they are eminently deserving of the high place 
which they hold in the esteem of all who know them. They are the 
sons of Lewis and Alice (Griffith) Weigle, both of whom are natives 
of Ohio, the father having been born in Seneca County and the 
mother in Williams County. Of the four children who blessed their 
union, the subjects of this review are the only survivors, two having 
died in childhood. 

W. Wier Weigle was born on the farm where he now lives, on 
July 21, 1890, and spent his boyhood days with his parents, securing 
his educational training in the district schools and the Montpelier 
High School. He then attended the Tri-State Normal College at 
Angola, Indiana, and also attended and graduated from the Spen- 


356 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


cerian Commercial School. Immediately afterwards he entered the 
employ of the Willard Storage Battery Company, at Cleveland, Ohio, 
where he remained until January, 1917, when he came to Bryan and 
established a battery service station. The business was successful 
from the start, but when, in the following April, the United States 
entered the great world conflict, Mr. Weigle laid aside all personal 
interests and promptly enlisted in the service of his country, entering 
the Signal Corps. Later he was transferred to the aviation service 
and was sent to Kelly Field, whence he was sent to Ellington Field, 
where he was stationed at the signing of the armistice. Shortly 
afterwards he was discharged with the rank of master signal elec- 
trician. He then returned to Williams County and, in partnership 
with his brother Weldon, engaged in farming and stock raising, in 
which he is still interested and in which they are achieving a pro- 
nounced success. They are operating 350 acres of land, which they 
devote to general farming, and in connection therewith are giving con- 
siderable attention to the breeding and raising of livestock. They 
handle Shorthorn cattle, Percheron horses and Shropshire sheep, and 
are gaining a wide reputation because of the high quality of their 
product. Their farm is well improved in every respect, being admir- 
ably adapted to the purposes for which used, and they are numbered 
among the enterprising farmers of Superior Township. 

W. Wier Weigle was married to Olive J. Frazier, a native of 
Williams County, and who received a good education in the public 
schools. Mr. Weigle takes an independent attitude in political mat- 
ters, reserving the right to vote according to the dictates of his judg- 
ment, regardless of party lines. Fraternally, he is a member of the 
Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council of the Masonic Order at Montpelier ; 
of Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, at Defiance, Ohio; 
of Scioto Consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, at Colum- 
bus, Ohio, and to Arabia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the 
Mystic Shrine, at Houston, Texas, while he and his wife are members 
of Lillian Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star. 

Weldon W. Weigle was born in Superior Township on Febiae 8, 
1897, and attended the public schools during his youth, being a grad- 
uate of the Montpelier High School with the class of 1915. He then 
entered Purdue University, at Lafayette, Indiana, where he was grad- 
uated in 1919 with the degree of Bachelor of Science and Agriculture. 
Since his return from college he has devoted his attention to farming 
interests with his brother Wier, who is referred to in preceding para- 
‘graphs. By natural aptitude and special training, he is thoroughly 


HISTORY OF (WILLIAMS (COUNT™ 307 


qualified for the work to which he is devoting himself and he has won 
a splendid reputation as an expert agriculturist. 

In October, 1919, Mr. Weigle was married to Ethel Tompkins, who 
graduated from the Montpelier High School and then took one year’s 
work in Hillsdale College, Michigan. Mr. Weigle is independent in 
his political views, while he holds fraternal relations with the Masonic 
Order, belonging to Lodge No. 547, at Montpelier, as well as the 
Chapter and Council in that place, and is also a thirty-second degree 
member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, being affiliated with 
the Consistory at Indianapolis, Indiana. 


GrEorcGE W. WHALEY, proprietor of the Midway Farm, located on 
Rural Free Delivery Route No. 3 from Montpelier, about nine miles 
northwest of the town, is one of the substantial men and experienced 
farmers of Bridgewater Township. He was born in Wisconsin, Octo- 
ber 12, 1862, a son of Joseph-and Jerusha (Davis) Whaley, the latter 
being a native of Pennsylvania. During the war between the North 
and the South, Joseph Whaley enlisted in the Union army, and 
died on the battlefield. He lies buried in the National Cemetery at 
Chattanooga, Tennessee. His widow was left with three children, of 
whom George W. Whaley is now the only survivor. 

When he was only twelve years old George W. Whaley began to 
be self-supporting, and did farm work until he was seventeen. At 
that time he went west and remained for four years, when he returned 
to Ohio, and in 1885, was united in marriage with Almeda E. Wilgus, 
who was born in DeKalb County, Indiana, in 1866, and was brought 
to Williams County, Ohio, by her parents when still a child, and she 
received her education in the public schools of this region. 

For two years subsequent to his marriage Mr. Whaley worked by 
the day, and he and his wife were very thrifty and managed to save 
sufficient money to enable them to rent a farm and get a start. For 
the next fifteen years they rented land, and then bought 120 acres of 
land, on which Mr. Whaley is operating most successfully. 

Mr. and Mrs. Whaley have two daughters, namely: Mary, who 
is the wife of Earl T. Boyer, a farmer of Bridgewater Township; 
and Ethel B,. who is the wife of Scott Waterson of Bridgewater 
Township. Interested in co-operation among the farmers Mr. Wha- 
ley joined the Northwest Grange No. 413 of which he is past master. 
Later he connected himself with Pomona Grange, which he served as 
master for two years, and then was secretary for three years, overseer 
for two years and gatekeeper for one year. For eight years he has been 


358 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


a member of the Ohio State Grange. Mrs. Whaley also belongs to 
Pomona Grange, and is active in it. One of the leading republicans 
of his neighborhood, Mr. Whaley is the member from Bridgewater 


Township on the county central committee of his party, and he has 


served his township as one of its trustees. He is a member of the 
Superior Farmers’ Co-operative Association. Mr. Whaley is a man 
of strong personality and has been able not only to make a success of 
his calling, but also to capture the confidence of all of his associates, 
and'to become the moving spirit in the organizations with which he 
has connected himself. 


Frep Lanrz.—The Lantz family has been associated with the 
agricultural life of Williams County for a number of years, and Fred 
Lantz, a member of it, is one of the leading exponents of the farming 
class in Bridgewater Township. He was born on a farm adjoining 
his own, in Bridgewater Center, on July 5, 1871, a son of Jacob and 
Emma (Backus) Lantz. Jacob Lantz was born in Crawford County, 
Ohio, on October 11, 1840, and his wife was born in Williams County 
in 1848. They were married on July 4, 1869, in Williams County, to 
which he had come in the spring of 1865, and settled on a farm he 
had bought, but only remained on from 1865 to 1872, when they 
moved to the one now owned by their son, Fred. The present house 
was built in 1882, and in it the parents resided until they died, he pass- 
ing away on January 27, 1915, and she died in 1907. While upon 
national matters he was a democrat, in local affairs he voted inde- 


pendently, and he held some of the township offices. He and his wife ~ 


had four children, namely: Fred, who was the eldest; Maude, who is 
the wife of Adam Yoder, of Pioneer, Ohio; Frank, who is a farmer, 
of Bridgewater Township; and Len, who lives in Montpelier. 

Fred Lantz was reared on his present farm and attended the local 
schools, and when old enough decided upon farming as his calling. 
His farm comprises 400 acres of very valuable land, including the 
family homestead, and he conducts it very profitably for he is an 
experienced farmer. 

On February 21, 1895, Mr. Lantz was united in marriage with 
Sula Waterson, who was born in Bridgewater Township on August 
18, 1877, a daughter of William and Lucretia (Haines) Waterson, 
the former of whom was born in Belmont County, Ohio, and the 
latter in Columbiana County, Ohio. They came to Williams County 
and located in Bridgewater Township, where they were engaged in 
farming, and there they died: They were members of the United 


ee  ) =e ——_ so 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 359 


Brethren Church. Mr. Waterson was a Union soldier and belonged 
to Hiram Louden Post No. 155, Grand Army of the Republic. *Dur- 
ing the war he served as a member of Company C. One Hundred and 
Ninety-Fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for the period of one year. 
Mr. and Mrs. Waterson had the following children: Sula, who is 
Mrs. Lantz; Augusta, who is the wife of Dr. E. F. Brandon, of Edon, 
Ohio; Belva, who is the wife of Noah Speith, of Montpelier, Ohio; 
Scott, who is a resident of Bridgewater Township; and one who is 
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Lantz have one son, Ray W., who is unmar- 
ried and living at home. Mr. Lantz belongs to Pioneer Lodge No. | 
159, Knights of Pythias, and the Gleaners. Both he and his wife are 
independent in their political views. A man of fine character, Mr. Lantz 
is very liberal in his views, and in his own life has tried to follow the 
teachings of the Golden Rule in a practical manner, with the result that 
he is not only highly respected, but is held in great affection by a wide 
circle of friends who appreciate his excellent qualities and what he 
has done for his community. 


Harvey J. BRANNAN, ex-treasurer of Williams County, returned 
to his farm in Superior Township when his term as county official 
had ended, and he is giving his attention to farming again. Mr. Bran- 
nan was born in Superior Township on November 16, 1871, and he 
is a son of James and Lusina (Bets) Brannan. The father was born 
in Columbiana County, but the mother had always lived in Williams 
County. There seems to have been an exodus of Columbiana County 
families to Williams County many years ago. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Brannan are: C. W. Brannan, 
of Superior Township; Harvey J. Brannan, who enrolls the family; 
Mary, wife of O. E. Wolfe; Lulu, wife of Samuel W. Cox, of Mont- 
pelier; James W. Brannan, of Montpelier; Solomon R. Brannan, of 
Superior Township; and Klare Brannan, of Montpelier. They all had 
common school advantages, and H. J. Brannan remained at home 
until he was twenty-one years old. When he was twenty-three he 
married Della Patton. She was born in 1873, in Lake County, Indiana. 
They were married in November, 1894, and have always lived in 
Williams County. 

The children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Brannan are: 
Myrtle, who graduated from the Bryan High School and is a book- 
keeper in the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Montpelier; Bessie, 
the wife of Harley J. Dashler; Ross L. Brannan, who was a soldier in 
the famous Rainbow Division in the World war and went overseas 


360 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


in 1917 and returned in 1919, suffering from both shell shock and 
gas, is now living in Denver, Colorado; and the younger children are: 
Paul R., Harvey H., Sarah R., Edith B., Ralph E. and Donna R. 
Brannan. 

Mr. Brannan and family are members of the West Bethesda Pres- 
byterian Church. He is a member of \the Modern Woodmen of 
America and of Montpelier Lodge No. 547, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons. Ina political way Mr. Brannan is a democrat, and by appoint- 


ment he became treasurer of Williams County, afterward being duly | 


elected and in all he served the county four years as county treasurer. 
When his official relation with Williams County terminated the town 
had no charm for him, and he returned to the farm in Superior 
Township. ; 

In connection with farming Mr. Brannan has always bought and 
shipped live stock from Montpelier. He owns 160 acres of land there 
miles southwest of Montpelier, and lives there. He is known to all as 
a farmer and shipper, and live stock dealers always promote better 
live stock production in a community. 


Wa ter K. Ninart, M. D—A widely known and experienced 
physician and surgeon of Edgerton, Walter K. Nihart, M. D., is a 
man whose services are much sought, his great success in the cases 
which have come under his charge have won him an extended repu- 
tation for professional skill and ability. A native of Williams County, 
he was born in Center Township, April 14, 1879. 

The doctor’s father, John Nihart, was born in Pennsylvania, and 
as a child brought to Melbern, Williams County, Ohio, where he grew 
to years of maturity. He learned the miller’s trade when young, and 
followed it several years, but later bought land in Center Township 
and turned his attention to agriculture. He was a stanch prohibitionist, 
and a charter member of Edgerton Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons. He married Martha Kerns, a native of Williams County, 
Ohio. She died in early womanhood, passing away in 1882. Nine 
children were born of their union, as follows: William, of Center 
Township; Jessie, wife of Huston Childers, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, 
where he is a noted attorney-at-law; Mary married William Holden; 
Theodore, living in Missouri; George, employed in the United- States 
service as a rural mail carrier; Anna, wife of Ernest Wines, of Water- 
loo, Ohio; Emma; John J., of Melbern, Ohio; and Walter K. 

Brought up on the home farm, Walter K. Nihart, who was bereft 
of a mother’s love and care at the tender age of three years, received 


—_—— 


——— eee ee eo 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 361 


his preliminary education in the district schools, later attending the 
Edgerton High School. Graduating from that school, he taught 
school two years, and then entered the Tri-State College, at Angola, 
Indiana, where he was graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of 
Science and Graduate in Pharmacy. Going then to Michigan, he was 
graduated from the College of Medicine and Surgery in 1906, receiv- 
ing the degree of Doctor of Medicine. 

Doctor Nihart subsequently took a post-graduate course in Chi- 
cago, and has since been actively and successfully engaged in the 
practice of his profession in Edgerton. His skill and ability as physi- 
cian and surgeon are widely known and appreciated, while his genial 
manner and pleasant words make him a welcome visitor to the well 
and strong, as well as to the sufferer to whom he so kindly ministers. 
The doctor is a stockholder in the Farmers Commercial Bank at 
Edgerton. Politically he is a republican, and fraternally he belongs 
to Edgerton Lodge No. 457, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He 
also belongs to the county and state medical societies. 

Doctor Nihart married in November, 1910, Hélen B. Webster, a 
woman of culture and refinement, who, after her graduation from the 
high school was engaged in teaching for a year. Two children have 
been born into their pleasant home, Arthur L. and Elsie R. 


Wrtu1aM M. Harter—During the long and honorable career of 
William H. Harter in Williams County he has exemplified qualities 
making for agricultural achievement and excellent public service. 
Since April, 1920, he has lived retired at Bryan and has rented his 
well-cultivated farm located four and one-half miles west of Bryan, 
in Center Township. He is still serving in the capacity of justice of 
the peace, a position which he has held for many years. 

Judge Harter was born near Newville, in Richland County, Ohio, 
July 25, 1858, a son of Emanuel and Elizabeth (Reidnour) Harter, 
natives also of that county, where the father was born in the same 
house as his son, September 19, 1833, the mother having been born 
on a nearby farm February 15, 1834. The parents were childhood 
playmates and upon arriving at maturity were married and settled on 
the Harter farm, where they rounded out long and honorable careers 
in-the pursuits of agriculture and won the esteem and respect of those 
who knew them. Mr. Harter was a republican in his political prefer- 
ences, and he and his wife were members of and active workers in the 
Baptist Church. They were the parents of ten children, of whom nine 
are living, William M. being the only resident among them in Williams 


County. 


362 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


William M. Harter was reared on the home farm and acquired his 
educational training in the public district schools of his own county, 
this later being supplemented by one year’s attendance at the high 
school. At the time he reached the age of twenty-one years, like 
numerous other country youths he was attracted by the apparent 
romance and glamor of railroading, but after one year spent therein 
returned to farming. One year after his return he was married, in 
1882, to Amanda Frederick, who died without issue May 20, 1894. 
Following this, Mr. Harter worked in the oil fields of Wood County 
for about seven years, having already spent five years there, and in 
1901 moved to Paulding County. In the meantime, March 4, 1896, 
he had married Miss Minnie Leedy, who was born in Kosciusko 
County, Indiana, near Pierceton, March 11, 1862. She attended the 
graded and high schools of her native community, where she resided 
until reaching the age of twenty-two years, then going to Belleville, 
Ohio, where she made her home from 1884 to 1888, next being a resi- 
dent of Columbus, employed by the Institution of the Blind seven 
years. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Harter resided at Rudolph, 
Wood County, until 1902, at which time they moved to Paulding 
County and made their home on a farm. In 1907 they came to Center 
Township, Williams County, where they have since resided, and 
where Mr. Harter is the owner of a valuable farm, upon which he is 
carrying on very successful operations as a general agriculturist. Four 
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harter: Edith A., a grad- 
uate of the Bryan High School, who spent three summers at the State 
Normal College and is now engaged in teaching; W. Harold, who is 
attending the Tri-State College, at Angola, Indiana; Clifford M., a 
graduate of the public schools; and Grace M., who has also completed 
her public school: course. 

Mr. and Mrs. Harter are consistent members of the Church of 
Christ at Bryan, where Mr. Harter is serving as an elder and a member 
of the board of trustees. He is well known in fraternal circles, being 
a member of Bryan Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of which he is past 
chancellor, and of Bryan Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
and Northwest Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, while he and Mrs. Har- 
ter belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. Always a republican, 
he has taken an active interest in local affairs, and for some years 
has served as a justice of the peace in his community. In addition to 
general farming, he interests himself in the breeding of Holstein 
cattle and good graded stock of all kinds, and his business connections 
include stock in the Bryan Elevator. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 363 


STEPHEN H. Reep.—A man of enterprise, energy and forethought, 
Stephen H. Reed, of Edgerton, has accumulated a comfortable share 
of this world’s goods, and is now living retired from business activi- 
ties, enjoying a well-merited leisure. A son of the late Sidney Reed, 
Sr., he was born, March 2, 1847, in New York State, of English 
ancestry. 

Sidney Reed, Sr., was born, August 28, 1811, at Vine Hall, Sussex 
County, England, and early in life immigrated to the United States, 
settling in New York City. Subsequently moving to Syracuse, New 
York, he there followed the trade of a wheelwright for a few years, 
and afterward was employed as a car inspector at White Pigeon, Mich- 
igan, until retiring from active labor. He was a republican in politics: 
a-member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and 
his wife were devout church members. His wife, whose name before 
marriage was Mary Harmon, was born in Hastings, Sussex County, 
England, was married in New York City to Sidney Reed March 12, 
1846. Five children blessed their union, three of whom were living 
in 1920, as follows: ‘Stephen H., the subject of this sketch; Hannah, 
wife of Albert Robbins; and William H., of Chicago, an employe of 
the Elevated Railroad Company. 

But seven years of age when his parents located at White Pigeon, 
Michigan, Stephen H. Reed acquired his education in the public 
schools, and at the age of fifteen years began the struggle of life on 
his own account, first finding employment on a railroad. Subse- 
quently going to La Porte, Indiana, he served an apprenticeship at the 
machinist’s trade, and in 1879 entered the employ of a railroad com- 
pany as a traveling engineer, a position that he filled for twenty years, 
his business being to superintend the setting up of locomotives, an 
undertaking demanding great mechanical skill and ingenuity. 

Mr. Reed married twice. His first wife, to whom he was married 
January 29, 1871, died January 25, 1915, leaving no children. 
Mr. Reed married for his second wife Mrs. Ella (Farnham) Reed, 
who was born in Williams County, Ohio, June 15, 1854, a daughter 
of Daniel Farnham, a pioneer settler of the county. 

Coming from New York State to Williams County, Ohio, in 1832, 
Daniel Farnham settled in what is now called Denmark, and entered 
land from the government,. becoming owner of 1,000 acres. Going 
back to New York, he returned to Williams County with his mother, 
and established his home three and a half miles northwest of Edgerton. 
He became prominent in local affairs, having served as county com- 
missioner many years, and having been one of the founders of the 


364 HISTORY, OF MiGLiAMs COUNTY 


First National Bank of Bryan. On his farm Daniel Farnham started 
a general store, and in 1853 removed the business to Edgerton, where 
he continued it for fifty years, later opening a private bank. 

Daniel Farnham married, in 1840, Caroline Sawyer, and of the 
eleven children born to them, six grew to years of maturity, and four 
were living in 1920, as follows: Eli, of Butler, Indiana; Ella, wife 
of the subject of this sketch; Elnora, wife of Adrian Fusselman; and 
Inez, wife of Charles Porter. 

Ella Farnham first attended school in St. Joseph Township, Jater 
continuing her studies at Edgerton, Bryan, and Butler, Indiana. On 
September 27, 1874, she was united in marriage with Sidney Reed, 
who died May 2, 1913, leaving one child, Eva G. Reed, who was born 
September 4, 1876, and was educated at Red Wing, Minnesota, being 
there graduated from the high school. Eva G. Reed married M. T. 
Skewes, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and they have four children liv- 
ing, namely: Marjorie, a high school graduate; Dorothy, also a grad- 
uate of the Minneapolis High School; Lucille, attending the high 
school; and Phyllis Jene, born August 13, 1919. 

Mrs. Reed has acquired considerable property, owning 200 acres 
of land in St. Joseph Township, and being a stockholder in the First 
National Bank of Bryan, of which her father was one of the founders. 
She is a member, and the president of the Woman’s Relief Corps, and 
belongs to the Presbyterian Church. 


Witiam J. Wittis.—The life of William J. Willis, living south- 


west of Montpelier, began May 12, 1863, in County Monaghan, Ire- 
land. He is a son of Henry and Mary J. (Henderson) Willis, who 
always lived in Ireland. They had five children, but in 1920 only one 
sister, Eliza, still living in Ireland, survives along with Mr. Willis of 
Williams County. He was past twenty years old when he left Ireland. 
Mr. Willis is the only member of the family who came to America. 
He had a common school education in Ireland. 
As a young man inclined to better his condition, Mr. Willis 


embarked for the “Land of Promise” in the United States, and when 


he landed in New York City he had $50 in his pocket. He went 
directly to Michigan where he had two uncles, and he found employ- 
ment as a helper to a blacksmith in the Peninsular Car Works at 
Adrian. He was later employed as a section hand on the Wabash 
Railroad for three and one-half years at Adrian, and was then trans- 
ferred to Alvordton, Ohio, as section foreman. However, he only 
remained there three months and went to Detroit in 1888, where he 


se 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 365 


became a driver on the Grand River Avenue street car lines, remain- 
ing for two years. It was in the days of the horse-drawn street cars, 
something almost forgotten by the people of today. 

The next job Mr. Willis had was as watchman for three years in 
the Peninsular Car Company’s shops in Adrian. From there he came 
to Montpelier, where he was employed on the construction of the 
Wabash Railroad line to Chicago for one summer, and then he was 
made section foreman at Montpelier, holding the position twelve years. 
Mr. Willis is an example of the man who has been diligent in business 
and saved this money. At this time he bought 100 acres of land and 
for seventeen years he has been a farmer in Superior Township not 
far from Montpelier. 

On April 19, 1893, Mr. Willis married Jennie N. Bechtel, who was 
born in Superior Township. She is a daughter of John Bechtol. He 
was a pioneer citizen of Williams County. Mr. and Mrs. Willis have 
three children. Eva is the wife of L. E. Connelly, of Montpelier. 
William Leslie is employed with his father as a farmer. In July, 
1918, he went into training as a soldier and in September he sailed 
for France, remaining there until the following July. His overseas 
experience is something he will always remember with pleasure. A 
younger son, Loren D., is in school in Montpelier. 

The Willis family are members of the English Lutheran Church, 
and Mr. Willis is regarded as an upright, honorable citizen of Wil- 
liams County. He votes the republican party, and while he is an 
American from choice, having come to this country in his young man- 
hood, lack of loyalty and patriotism has never been charged to him. 
He is an example of what any young man may accomplish through 
honesty and industry. 


Witt1am.W. Tuompson—The rate of progress of any com- 
munity is largely determined by the readiness of the people to take 
advantage of the natural resources of the land, or their ability to over- 
come nature’s obstacles. Ohio offers a countless number of: the 
former, and but few of the latter, and therefore from the earliest 
settlements it has taken a foremost place among agricultural produc- 
tion. One of the enterprising men of Williams County who has prac- 
tically spent his life at general farming and stock raising is William W. 
Thompson of Madison Township, and his success proves the wisdom 
of his choice of an occupation. 

Mr. Thompson is one of the native sons of this locality, as he was 
born in Madison Township on November 22, 1860, a son of David 


366 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


and Barbara A. (Lambright) Thompson, both of whom were born 
in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. They were reared, educated and 
married in that county, from whence they came to Williams County, 
Ohio, and were among the first settlers of Madison Township. They 
made -the trip from Toledo, Ohio, with an ox team. At that time 
there were no roads and he had to go ahead of the wagon and blaze 
the way to their claim in the woods. After they arrived, he cleared 
a small space and erected a log cabin, taking three days to complete 
their first home. They rounded out their lives on this farm. In 
religious faith they were Presbyterians. In politics the father was a 
democrat, and he held several of the offices in Madison Township. 
Eleven children were born to him and his wife, seven sons and four 
daughters, all of whom are living with the.exception of one. They 
are as follows: Mary A., who is the wife of A. L. Kast; Hannah A., 
who married Josephus Bujer; R. J., who lives at Bryan, Ohio; George, 
who is deceased; S. R., who lives in Madison Township; Andrew, 
who lives in Kunkle, Ohio; William W., whose name heads this 
review; Martin, who lives at Montpelier, Ohio; Josephus, who lives 
at Kunkle, Ohio; Ella, who is the wife of Ezra Tresler, now deceased; 
and Maggie, who is the wife of George Wilson. 

William W. Thompson was reared on his father’s homestead, 
learning under the careful supervision of that most excellent man how 
to cultivate the soil, and while doing so he attended the district schools 
during the winter months, thus growing up with a love of the farm 
life, so that after he attained to his majority, he began farming on 
his own account, and has made a success of his undertakings. At 
present he owns his farm of SECT acres of land, all of which is 
well improved. 

On March 11, 1898, Mr. Thompson was united in marriage oat 
Frances C. Erskin, who wsa born in Superior Township. She died 
on March 5, 1919, leaving no issue. Both she and Mr. Thompson 
joined the Church of God at Madison Bethel, and he still maintains 
his membership with it, and is a generous contributor to its mainte- 
nance. He is a member of the board of trustees of the church, and 
is active in the Sunday school, of which he has been superintendent 
for many years. In politics he is a democrat, and has served as ditch 
commissioner of Madison Township. He is a man who has gone on 
doing: each day’s duties as they came to hand, and giving a conscien- 
tious service to his church and community, and naturally is held in 
high esteem by his fellow citizens who appreciate his excellent qualities. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 367 


O. E. Ewan.—Undoubtedly the civilized nations of the world 
are clamoring for the benefits of education, and the teacher’s profes- 
sion thereby acquires still greater dignity as it must assume still 
heavier responsibilities. A leader of American thought has recently 
declared that no more impressive lesson was presented in the Great 
war, than the supreme importance of education. Men and women of 
ripe scholarship have long proclaimed this fact in peaceful times, but 
strangely enough it has required brutal combat to thoroughly arouse 
thoughtful people to the perils and dangers of ignorance. Williams 
County, Ohio, has been more farsighted than many sections, educators 
of note having been welcomed here and one of these coming readily 
to mind is Prof. O. E. Ewan who for sixteen years has been the able 
and faithful superintendent of the public schools of Edon and a mem- 
ber of the advisory board of editors of Williams County History, 1920. 

O. E. Ewan was born on his father’s farm in Center Township, 
Williams County. His parents were A. H. and Eliza (Stahl) Ewan, 
the former of whom was born in Defiance County, Ohio, in 1850, and 
died in 1912, and the latter, born in Center Township, Williams 
County, in 1852, died in 1880. She was a member of the United 
Brethren Church. The father of Professor Ewan had academic 
advantages and taught school for twenty-six terms, then turned his 
attention to farming his property in Center Township. He gave his 
political support to the republican party, always declining public office, 
however, and fraternally was long identified with the lodge of Odd 
Fellows at Bryan, Ohio. He was a member of the Christian Church. 
He was twice married, first to Eliza Stahl, who died in 1880, and sec- 
ond to Melissa Spangler. To his first union two children were born: 
O. E. and Lulu. The latter was graduated from a business college 
at Delaware, Ohio, and is now the wife of Dr. Oren H. Nihart, of 
Edon. A son and daughter were born also to his second marriage, 
namely : Earl, and Vera, who is the wife of Roy Richardson. 

Professor Ewan attended the country schools and then spent three 
years in the select and high school at Bryan, going from there to the 
Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana, where he remained for sixteen 
terms, during this time completing courses in philosophy and other 
science. He then went into educational work and with scarcely any 
intermission, has followed the teaching profession ever since. In 1900 
he took a post-graduate course at Taylor University, Indiana, and won 
his Master of Arts degree, and has taken courses at other institutions. 
In 1903 he came to Edon as superintendent of the city schools, and the 
high educational standards maintained here give testimony to sound- 


368 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ness of his methods and the efficacy of his training. He has a high 
school life certificate in Ohio. 

In December, 1909, Professor Ewan was united in marriage to 
Miss Mary Abry, who, like himself, has devoted her life to educa- 
tional work and for twelve years has been a popular teacher at Edon. 
She is actively interested in the work of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and gives largely of herself in promoting worthy charities. 
Professor Ewan is a member of Edon Lodge, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons. The political principles he absorbed in youth have 
always regulated his public attitude, and now, as always, he is work- 
ing as an interested citizen, for the success of the republican party. 
He has served for eleven years as county school examiner. He has 
a wide acquaintance with educators and belongs to several representa- 
tive teaching bodies in the state. 


Hucu W. Scott.—One of the men who has stamped the impress 
of his strong individuality upon the minds of the people of Williams 
County as one of the conspicuous men of this locality, is Hugh W. 
Scott, who, after many years of active and successful effort, is now 
practically retired from active business and residing quietly in Bryan. 
Faithfulness to duty and a strict adherence to a fixed purpose have 
been dominating factors in his life, which has been replete with honor 
and success worthily attained. 

Hugh W. Scott is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth 
having occurred on his father’s farm in Columbiana County, Ohio, 
on December 26, 1848. He is the son of Robert and Elizabeth 
(Brannan) Scott, both of whom also were natives of Ohio. They 
were married in Columbiana County, where Robert Scott followed 
the trade of a carpenter, in connection with which he also farmed. 
In 1849 the family came to Williams County and Mr. Scott bought a 
farm in Superior Township, to the operation of which he devoted his 
efforts during the remainder of his life. Mrs. Scott was a great help- 
mate to her husband. He was a democrat in his political faith and 
he and his wife were active members of the Christian Church. Ten 
children blessed their union and eight are still living, namely: Cath- 
erine, the wife of Edward Daniels; Hugh W., the subject of this 
sketch; Mary, the wife of John Young; Rebecca, the wife of John 
McQuilkin; Eliza, the wife of Taylor White; Rosanna, the wife of 
Lewis Lindesmith; William, of Pittsford, Michigan, and John, who 
remains on and operates the old home farm in Superior Township; 
Albina, the wife of E. E. Calvin, of Bryan, and Iona died in infancy. 


‘ - : f 
Te ee as ee ee ee ee, ee ee ee eee ee 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 369 


Hugh W. Scott was but a year old when the family came to 
Williams County, and here he was reared and educated. He remained 
at home until twenty-four years of age, during the last three years of 
which period he rented the home farm and ran it on his own account. 
He then left the homestead and has owned his own farm in Pulaski 
Township for many years. This place comprises 114 acres of well- 
tilled land, under Mr. Scott’s careful and practical management, it has 
returned good crops, and has been maintained at a high state of cul- 
tivation. Mr. Scott has been successful in all his undertakings and is 
now able to relinquish the details of farm life and enjoy the rest which 
his years of activity have earned for him. Mr. Scott rendered effec- 
tive and appreciative service as superintendent of the Williams County 
infirmary, being first appointed to that position in 1892 and serving 
ten vears. After a lapse of seven years, he was again appointed to that 
position in 1909 and served until 1917, when he retired from active 
life. His administration of this important position was eminently 
satisfactory, for he managed the fields of the county with that care 
and discretion which stamped him as a twentieth-century farmer of 
the highest order, everything indicating good judgment and excellent 
system as well as executive ability. 

On June 1, 1872, Mr. Scott was married to Emma Baker, who was 
born in Richland County, Ohio, but who came to Williams County 
with her parents in 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have a son, Harley O., 
who was born January 17, 1875. He was a student in the Bryan 
public schools, and then attended the Tri-State Normal College, at 
Angola, Indiana, after which he taught for five years in the public 
schools of Williams County. He married Miss Docia Ewan and they 
have two children, Selma Maria and Waneta Irene. 

Mr. Scott is a democrat in his political faith, while he and his 
wife are members of the Christian Church in Bryan. Owing to his 
probity of character, his genuine worth, and his kindly and genial 
disposition, Mr. Scott has gained a position in his community as one 
of the earnest men whose depth of character and strict adherence to 
principle has called forth the admiration and respect of his fellow 
citizens. 


J. A. Devore has shown marked initiative and administrative 
ability in his executive office of president of the Williams County 
Telephone Company, the service of which has been brought up 
to a high standard under his effective supervision. He claims the old 
Buckeye state as the place of his nativity, and to it he pays unwaver- 

Vol. I1—24 


370 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS ‘COUNTS 


ing loyalty. He was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and was three 
years of age at the time of the family removal to Defiance County, 
where his father purchased land and turned his attention to farm 
enterprise. He, whose name introduces this review, thus had the 
fortifying influence of being reared under the sturdy discipline of the 
farm, and his youthful education was acquired in the public schools of 
Defiance County. In 1870 he went west and finally he established his 
residence in the State of Nebraska, where he continued to devote his 
attention principally to farm industry until 1900. For a time he 
was engaged in the hardware business at Valparaiso, Saunders County, 
that state, and after selling this business ‘he effected the organization 
of the Nuckolls County National Bank, at Nelson, the judicial center 
of the Nebraska county of the name noted in the title of the bank. 
He continued as president of this institution two years, at the expira- 
tion of which it was consolidated with the First National Bank of 
Nelson, of which he became vice-president, besides which he conducted 
a substantial independent business in the extending of loans upon 
approved real estate securities. . 
In 1892 he removed to Lincoln, the capital city of Nebraska, and 
there he continued his residence until he came to his native state and 
established his residence at Bryan, judicial center of Williams County, 
where he forthwith erected a fine modern residence, on South Lynn 
street. In 1904 he became president of the Bryan Telephone Company, 
which later was merged into the Williams County Telephone Com- 
pany, of which latter corporation Mr. Devore has since continued the 
president. He is not only one of the heaviest stockholders of this 
company but has also been vital and progressive in his administration 
as its president, with the result that the company has become one of 
the most successful public utility corporations in Northeastern Ohio. 
Mr. Devore has well fortified opinions concerning economic and gov- 
ernmental policies and while he is a stanch supporter of the princi- 
ples of the republican party he has never manifested any desire to 
enter the arena of practical politics. ‘He was loyal and zealous in the 
support of governmental agencies through which was furthered the 
efficiency of the nation’s war activities in the recent world conflict and 
in Williams County he was the chairman of the county committee 
which had direction of the fourth and fifth government loan drives. 
He is an active member and a trustee of the Presbyterian Church at 
Bryan, of which his wife likewise was a devoted adherent. In the 
Masonic fraternity he is affiliated with Bryan Lodge No. 45, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons; Northwest Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 371 


Masons; Defiance Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar at Defi- 
ance; and with the temple of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the 
Mystic Shrine at Lincoln, Nebraska. He also holds membership in 
the Order of the Eastern Star, as did also his wife. 

When he was twenty-four years of age Mr. Devore was united in 
marriage to Miss Estelle J. Dellett, of Defiance, Ohio, she having 
previously been a popular teacher in the schools of Defiance County. 
Mrs. Devore passed to the life eternal September 11, 1917, leaving no 
children. 


Georce F. Dicx.—This representative and honored citizen of 
Jefferson Township, Williams County, has been distinctively the archi- 
tect of his own fortunes, has been true and loyal in all the relations of 
life and stands as a type that sterling manhood which ever commands 
respect and honor. He is a man who would have won his way in any 
locality where fate might have placed him, for he has sound judgment, 
coupled with great energy and business tact, together with upright 
principles, all of which make for success wherever and whenever they 
are rightly and persistently applied. By reason of these principles he 
has won and retained a host of warm and loyal friends in whatever 
community he is known. 

George F. Dick, whose excellent farm is located in section 33, Jef- 
ferson Township, Williams County, was born at Rome, Richland 
County, Ohio, on March 27, 1846, and he is a son of Abraham and 
Lucy A. (Altaffer) Dick. Abraham Dick was born in Batavia, Ger- 
many, in 1818, and was reared and educated in that country. He 
came to the United States in 1836 and during the following three 
years lived in Buffalo, New York, where he learned the trade of a 
carpenter. He then came to Richland County, Ohio, and worked at 
his trade. Lucy A. Altaffer was born in Woodstock, Virginia, and 
came with her parents to Ashland County, Ohio, and in 1843 to Rich- 
land County, where she made the acquaintance of Mr. Dick, whose 
wife she became in 1845. Coming to Jefferson Township, Williams 
County, in 1850, they spent the remainder of their lives there, where 
Mr. Dick worked as a carpenter during all his active years, dying on 
April 20, 1904, at the age of eighty-six years and one day. His wife: 
had passed away in 1889. They were members of the Reformed 
Church and he was a democrat in his political alignment. Of the 
eight children born to them, four survive, namely: George F., the 
immediate subject of this sketch; John, of Michigan; Sarah E., wife 
of Herman Batterson, who lives on the old homestead in section 26, 


372 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Jefferson Township; William, who lives on section 36, Mill Creek 
Township. 

George F. Dick was four years of age when, in 1850, he was 
brought to Williams County, and here he received his education in the 
district schools. When seventeen years of age, he enlisted in Com- 
pany H, Thirty-Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and with 
this command took part in many of the most important and hotly 
contested battles of the Civil war. On August 7, 1864, he was seri- 
ously wounded in the right thigh, which disabled him from service 
until December 12, 1864, when he was transferred to the Fourteenth 
Corps of detached troops, with whom he remained until April, 1865. 
He then rejoined his old regiment at Goldsboro, North Carolina, and 
with it went to Richmond, and on to Washington, District of Columbia, 
where they took part in the Grand Review. He was mustered out at 
Louisville, Kentucky, on July 12, 1865, and honorably discharged at 
Cleveland, Ohio, on July 22d. On his return home, Mr. Dick went 
to farming and was so employed until 1870, when he located on a farm 
in section 36, Mill Creek Township, where he remained about six and 
a half years, clearing the farm during that period. He then sold it 
and in 1876 he located on the farm where he now lives and which he 
has developed into one of the choice farms of Jefferson Township. 
The farm comprises 125 acres of land, the greater part of which is in 
cultivation, while a portion of it is devoted to the raising of live stock, 
which in this locality is always a valuable adjunct to farming operations. 

On March 17, 1870, Mr. Dick was married to Sarah Wolfe, who 
was born in Missouri, but came with her grandparents to Williams 
County, Ohio, when one year of age. To this union were born eight 
children, four of whom died in infancy, the survivors being as follows: 
Elva, the wife of Analdo Richard, of Seattle, Washington; Minnie, the 
wife of Frank Eager, of Bryan; Charles F., who remains on the home 
farm, married Marcie Hamet; Florence, the wife of Lee Eager, of 
Center Township. Mrs. Dick died on February 16, 1919. 

Politically, Mr. Dick gives his support to the republican party and 
has been active in local public affairs, having served three years as 
trustee of Jefferson Township, and as director of the County Infirmary 
two terms, or six years. He is a member of Evans Post No. 149, 
Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is a past commander, and 
he was at one time an active member of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows. : 

Mr. Dick has eight grandchildren, of whom he is deservedly proud, 
and two of whom took an active part in the World war. George R. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 373 


enlisted and was sent overseas, serving about a year in France, while 
Charles R., who also enlisted, was sent to the officers’ training camp 
at Seattle, Washington, but was not ordered into active field service. 


Ett Brown, who is living retired on his fine farm in Pulaski 
Township, is one of the venerable citizens of Williams County, which 
has been his home from his farming operations, through the medium 
of which he achieved independence and substantial prosperity. His 
home place in Williams County comprises twenty acres, and he also 
owns an additional eighty acres. He is a stanch supporter of the 
cause of the republican party, has been an upright, loyal and honored 
citizen of the county for many years, and is well entitled to recognition 
in this history. He is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Eli Brown was born September 20, 1837, and was reared and 
educated in Hancock County, Ohio, his parents having later come to 
Williams County, where they passed the remainder of their lives. As 
a young man, Mr. Brown became the owner of a threshing machine, 
and through the financial returns which he gained from its operations 
he laid the foundation for his later success as one of the substantial 
exponents of farm industry in Williams County, where he has main- 
tained his residence since. As a young man he married Miss Julia 
Weller, who was his devoted companion and helpmate during the long 
intervening years. She is now deceased, she having been born in 
Pennsylvania. William A., the only child of this union, died at the 
age of eighteen months. Mr. Brown is a brother of Aaron C. Brown, 
of whom individual mention is made on other pages. 


Dex A. Lev, treasurer of Williams County, is giving a most able 
and satisfactory administration of the financial affairs of the county 
and is a representative of one of the sterling families of Northwestern 
Ohio. He was born at Pettisville, Fulton County, this state, on March 
‘14, 1871, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Foust) Leu, whose mar- 
riage was solemnized in Williams County. Jacob Leu was born and 
reared in Switzerland, where he had excellent educational advantages, 
and as a youth he also attended school in France. He was about 
twenty years of age when he came to the United States. He was a 
man of fine mentality and spoke four languages with almost equal 
fluency. Upon coming to Ohio, he first located at Waterville, Lucas 
County, though he maintained his home in Williams County for many 
years prior to his death, he having become a prosperous dry goods 


374 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


merchant in the Village of Montpelier, where he served for over 
twenty years in municipal ‘office—notably in the position of city treas- 
urer and city clerk. He was affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, 
was a republican in politics and was a citizen who commanded high 
place in popular confidence and esteem. He was about seventy-six 
years of age at the time of his death and his widow now resides in the 
City of Detroit. Of their nine children, eight are living, but only two 
of the number remain in Williams County. 

Del A. Leu acquired his early education in the public schools of 
Montpelier, and prior to his election to his present office he had fol-. 
lowed various vocations, including a number of years of effective 
service in the employ of the Wabash Railroad Company, in which 
connection he was a member of the board of trustees and director of 
the Association of Hospitals on the system. He is affliated with the 
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, and was a representative of the 
organization on that system for a number of years. Mr. Leu has 
given vigorous support to the cause of the republican party and has 
been influential in its councils and campaign activities in Williams 
County. While residing at Montpelier he gave effective service as 
president of the board of municipal affairs, and in 1916 as the repub- 
lican candidate, he was elected treasurer of the county, his re-election 
in 1918 offering a significant voucher for the estimate placed upon his 
first administration, the majorities which he received at both elections 
having indicated also his personal popularity in the county that has 
always represented his home. 

Upon assuming his present office, Mr. Leu removed from Mont- 
pelier to Bryan, the judicial center of the county, but in the former 
place he still maintains affiliation with the Blue Lodge, Chapter and 
Council of the Masonic fraternity, also the Loyal Order of Moose. 

The year 1896 recorded the marriage of Mr. Leu to Miss Jessie 
M. Stauffer, who was born in Center Township, Williams County, and 
of this union have been born five children: Freda is the wife of Calvin 
F. Brown; Carson, who is in the employ of the Wabash Railway, is 
married and lives in Montpelier ; Oneta is a student in the Bryan High 
School, as is also Karleen and Harrold, he being nine years old at this 
writing, in the spring of 1920. 


Atva H. Quiport.—The people of Springfield Township, Williams 
County, are too familiar with the career of Alva H. Quidort for the 
biographer to call special attention to his record other than to give the 
salient facts in the same, for here he has spent his entire life and has 
gained a prominent place in the esteem of the people. Because of his 


+ HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 375 


upright life and his success in his vocation, he is eminently entitled to 
representation in a work of this character. 

Alva H. Quidort, who owns a fine farm in Springfield Township, 
five miles east of Bryan, was born about three and a half miles south- 
west of Stryker, Ohio, on November 11, 1870, and is the son of 
Eugene and Louisa (Jodry) Quidort, the former of whom was born 
in France on July 22, 1845, and the latter in Brady Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, on November 18, 1843. Eugene Quidort was about 
one and a half years of age when brought to the United States by his 
parents, who settled first at Utica, New York, where they lived about 
two years. They then came to Ohio, locating in Defiance, where the 
father followed his trade, that of stone cutter, for some time. Event- 
ually he came to Williams County and settled on a farm west of 
Stryker, where the parents spent the remainder of their lives and died. 
Eugene Quidort received his education in the district schools during 
his boyhood, remaining at home and caring for his mother until her 
death. He then married and moved to a farm southwest of Stryker, 
which place he afterward sold, and bought the farm which is now the 
home of his son Alva, subject of this sketch. In 1912 he retired from 
active farming and moved to Bryan, where his death occurred on 

“May 18, 1916. His wife had passed away in 1893. They were mem- 
bers of the United Brethren Church, and very active in their support 
of its various interests. He was a republican in his political views. 
They became the parents of two children, the subject of this sketch 
and a sister, Fannie Adaline, who became the wife of Charles Rex. 
Mrs. Rex died in 1918 and her husband in 1919. 

Alva H. Quidort, who is now the only survivor of his family, was 
reared on the home farm and secured his educational training in the 
district schools. He is still giving his attention to the operation of the 
old home farm, of which he acquired possession after his father’s 
death, and he has achieved a distinct success as an agriculturist. His 
farm comprises seventy acres of excellent land, which he devotes to 
general farming and stock raising. He keeps the farm well improved 
and at a high standard of cultivation and bears a high reputation as a 
progressive and enterprising farmer. 

On November 4, 1903, Mr. Quidort was married to Minnie L. 
Chaney, who was born in the State of Missouri, but who was brought 
to Ohio by her parents, who located on a farm near Springfield, where 
the marriage of the subject occurred. To them have been born four 
children, namely: Bessie L., born November 18, 1904; Alice Leone, 
December 11, 1906; Gladys P., October 6, 1908, and Clifford E., Janu- 


376 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ary 29, 1912. Politically, Mr. Quidort gives his earnest support to the 
republican party and takes an intelligent interest in public affairs, espe- 
cially as pertaining to his home community. He stands consistently 
for the best things in community life and gives his support to every 
worthy movement for the public interest. Genial and unassuming, he 
enjoys to a notable degree the good will and esteem of all who 
know him. 


Carle O. Stmon.—In all that constitutes good citizenship, Carie 
O. Simon, foreman of machinists in the Wabash Railroad shops at 
Montpelier, is an example, none standing higher than he in the esteem 
and confidence of the community. His career has been characterized 
by duty faithfully performed and he has earned an enviable standing 
with his official superiors through his industry and good judgment. 

Carie O. Simon was born near the Town of Auburn, in Dekalb 
County, Indiana, on December 24, 1868, and is the son of George and 
Mary J. (Rosenberger) Simon. His parents were natives of Noble 
County, Indiana, where they were reared, educated and married. After 
their marriage they settled on a farm near LaOtto, Indiana, but sub- 
sequently he went into the meat business at Hudson, Indiana, follow- 
ing that business until his retirement, since when he has made his home 
at Tekonsha, Michigan. His wife died in 1900. Mr. Simon is a mem- 
ber of the United Brethren Church and is affiliated with the Free and 
Accepted Masons. Politically, he is a supporter of the republican 
party. To him and his wife were born four children, namely: Carie 
O., the subject of this review; William E., of Tekonsha, Michigan ; 
Albert, of Mobile, Alabama, and Della. 

Carie O. Simon was reared in Hudson, Indiana, and received a good 
practical education in the public schools of that locality. His first 
employment was in his father’s meat market, but afterwards went to 
Ashley, Indiana, and learned the trade of a machinist in the shops of 
the Wabash Railroad. In 1900 he was transferred to the shops in 
Montpelier, Ohio, where he has since remained. Mr. Simon developed 
into an unusually expert and capable machinist, his ability and steady 
qualities being recognized by his official superiors, so that he won pro- 
motion. For some time he has been foreman of machinists, a respon- 
sible position, calling for not only an exact knowledge of the details 
of the work done, but also calling for the essential qualifications for 
successfully handling men. 

Mr. Simon was married to Arie Bell Bish, of Hudson, Indiana, 
and they have one daughter, Elsie, who is now the wife of Amos 


A 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS: COUNTY 34h, 


Adams, of Auburn, Indiana. Politically, Mr. Simon gives his earnest 
support to the republican party and has taken an active part in local 
public affairs, being ‘at the present time a member of the Board of 
Public Affairs of the Village of Montpelier. Fraternally, he is a mem- 
ber of Montpelier Lodge No. 547, Free and Accepted Masons, the 
Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the Council of Royal and Select Mas- 
ters, and to Superior Lodge No. 269, Knights of Pythias. He has been 
honored with official position in both orders, having served as master 
of the Masonic Lodge and chancellor commander of the Pythian 
Lodge. He is of a genial disposition, sterling quality of character and 
is successful in his vocation. 


Joun B. Wuite.—Innumerable advantages are to be noted as a 
result of the increasing tendency of men learned in the profession of 
law to embark in occupations outside their immediate sphere of activ- 
.ity. This is the natural result of a vocation which equips its devotees 
for success in more lines of business than any other wage-earning 
medium, causing it to be justly regarded as a means, rather than an 
end, and as an adjunct rather than an entirety. The result is necessar- 
ily an elevation of commercial standards, an avoidance of complica- 
tions, a means of adjustment out of courts, and a general simplifying 
of conditions through a knowledge of underlying principles and penal- 
ties. An illustration of this modern phase of the law is found in John 
B. White, secretary and attorney of the Home Savings, Loan and 
Building Association of Bryan, Ohio. 

Mr. White was born near Montpelier, in Superior Township, Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, January 21, 1853, a’son of Joseph H. and Rebecca 
F. (Leach ) White, natives of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they 
were married. On coming to Ohio, the parents first located in Craw- 
ford and next in Seneca County. In 1837 Joseph H. White bought 
from the Government 160 acres in Superior Township, Allen County, 
one and one-half miles west of Montpelier, and in August, 1839, 
moved to this new home with his family. Mr. White cleared a small 
piece of land, erected a log cabin and set about clearing his property, 
with the result that he became the owner of a splendid farm of 160 
acres, with modern buildings and up-to-date equipment. This property 
still belongs to members of the family. John B. White, of this notice, 
has forty acres; Mrs. Hattie (White) Holloway, has a like property; 
and George Farley, who married Alice White, owns the balance. The 
parents were Quakers in their native state, but on coming to Williams 
County joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which they were 


378 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS, COUNTY 


consistent members and substantial supporters up to the time of their 
deaths. Mr. White was a stanch republican and served his community 
capably in the office of justice of the peace for many years. He and 
his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom two are living : 
John B., of Bryan; and Isaiah M., of Montpelier. 

John B. White was reared on the home farm and received his edu- 
cation in the log schoolhouse in the home vicinity. Later he went to 
school in a more modern frame building and then taught school for sev- 
eral terms, in the meantime devoting himself to the study of law. At 
the age of twenty-four years he entered the law department of the 
University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, from which he was graduated 
in 1881 as a Bachelor of Laws. In 1882 he located at Montpelier, 
where he continued in practice until 1886, and since the latter year has 
been engaged in his vocation here, having steadily risen to a position 
as one of the most thorough and reliable lawyers of Williams County. 
Mr. White was one of the organizers of the Home Savings, Loan and 
Building Association, which was organized in 1889, and the officers of 
which are: C. S. Roe, president; J. E. Beach, vice president; John B. 
White, secretary and attorney; and Fred Yunck, treasurer. The board 
of directors including J. E. Beach, H. C. Gross, W. S. Morrow, C. S. 
Roe and E. A. Wolff. 

Mr. White married Mrs. Belle (Brinkerhoff) Sperry, who was 
born in Dekalb’ County, Indiana, in April, 1852, and who has been 
active in the work of the Presbyterian Church, of which she has been 
a lifelong member. They reside in a pleasant home at No. 227 South 
Lynn Street. Fraternally, Mr. White is affiliated with Bryan Lodge 
No. 215, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past mas- 
ter; Northwest Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is a 
past high priest; Bryan Council No. 101, Royal and Select Masters, 
and a demitted member of Defiance Commandery, Knight Templars. 
He and Mrs. White also belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. 
Mr. White has long been a leading factor in the republican party in 
Williams County. While residing at Montpelier, he served one year 
as mayor, and after coming to Bryan was elected to the mayoralty, in 
which he served eight consecutive years. He was then out of office 
for one term, when he was returned to the mayor’s office for another 
term. In 1900 was one of the electors from the State of Ohio. Genial 
in manner, cultured in mind, he is a fair representative of the thought- 
ful, intelligent men of his day and locality who are doing so much to 
advance the interests of their community and its people. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 379 


James H. Mitter.—A representative business man of West Unity, 
James H. Miller possesses rare ability and judgment, and the keenness 
of vision that has ever kept him alive to the needs of the hour, and 
many of the more beneficial enterprises that have been established in 
this part of Williams County owe their success in a large measure to 
his wise forethought and active support. A native of Ohio, he was 
born, June 29, 1867, in Hicksville, a son of James M. and Catherine 
(Casebeer) Miller, and a grandson of John and Margaret (Boone) 
Miller, who were born in Wayne County, Ohio, in early pioneer days. 
James M. Miller owned and operated a sawmill in Hicksville, Ohio, 
and was carrying on a substantial business at the time of his death, 
which occurred while he was yet in manhood’s prime. A soldier in 
the Civil war, he served three months. 

Left fatherless in infancy, James H. Miller grew to manhood in 
West Unity, and was graduated from its high school. He began life 
on his own account as salesman in a general store, and in that position 
showed marked business and financial ability. Broadening his scope of 
activity in 1888, Mr. Miller organized the West Unity Banking Com- 
pany, of which he is the efficient cashier, a position for which he is 
amply qualified, and in June, 1899, he organized the Citizens Telephone 
Company, one of the most useful and used of all the beneficial enter- 
prises that have been here established. Fraternally active, he belongs 
to the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, being past master of his 
lodge, and to the Knights of Pythias. He helped organize the local 
lodge and was its first chancellor commander. 


Rurus H. WeAver.—Perhaps no one agency in all the world has 
done so much for public progress as the press, and an enterprising, 
well-edited journal is a most important factor in promoting the wel- 
fare and prosperity of any community. Williams County is certainly 
indebted to its wide-awake journals in no small degree, and one of the 
men who are doing a commendable work in the local newspaper field 
is Rufus H. Weaver, part owner of the Montpelier Enterprise. He 
has long been connected with public affairs in Williams County, being 
in close touch with all phases of public life here, and his influence as 
a writer and editor is widely acknowledged among contemporary news- 
paper men and the public in general. 

Rufus H. Weaver was born in Seneca County, Ohio, on April 16, 
1873, and is a son of J. M. and Minnie (Barkman) Weaver, both of 
whom also were born and reared in Seneca County. They were reared 
on farms and educated in the district schools, and spent their married 


380 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


lives in that county, the mother’s death occurring in 1881. Subse- 
quently J. M. Weaver came to Williams County, where he lived for 
a long time, eventually moving to Allegan County, Michigan, where he 
was again married. To this second union were born two children, 
Kenneth and Duncan, both of whom are graduates of the Fenville 
(Michigan) High School. Kenneth saw active service in the Quarter- 
master’s Corps during the World war, being stationed at Fort Ben- 
jamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana. To J. M. and Minnie Weaver 
were born four children, namely: Rufus H., the immediate subject of 
this sketch; Theresa, the wife of Amandus Sherman, of Tiffin, Ohio; 
Fred S., who is married and is living at Detroit, Michigan; William E., 
of Tiffin, Ohio. 

Rufus H. Weaver spent his early life upon the farm in Seneca and 
Williams counties, and secured his educational training in the district 
schools of Seneca and Williams counties and the high school at Mont- 
pelier. He then engaged in teaching school, being employed for nine 
years in the Mount Zion school district and one year in the public 
schools of Montpelier. He was then nominated by the democratic 
party for the office of auditor of Williams County, and was elected. 
He was re-elected to that office, serving six years and earning a splen- 
did reputation as a capable and efficient public official. He then served 
two years as assistant in the office of the county treasurer. 

On September 1, 1916, Mr. Weaver came to Montpelier and, in 
partnership with William Behne, purchased the Montpelier Enterprise, 
of which he has acted as manager and editor. The Enterprise is well 
edited and in mechanical execution is attractive, standing high among 
the newspapers of this and adjoining counties. Mr. Weaver possesses 
to a marked degree the instinct for “news that is news” that marks 
the successful journalist and through the colums of his paper he has 
exerted a potent influence in favor of all that is best in community life. 

On June 6, 1899, Mr. Weaver was married to Savillah D. Shaull, 
who was born in Superior Township, Williams County, and, after 
completing her public school education, became a school teacher, fol- 
lowing that vocation six years prior to her marriage. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Weaver have been born six children, namely: Blanche A., Paul 
F., Raymond E., Russell H., Francis and Wilson J., who was born on 
January 12, 1918, and died on February 17, 1919. 

Mr. Weaver and his family are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. Politically, he is an earnest supporter of the democratic 
party, while, fraternally, he is a member of Montpelier Lodge No. 
547, Free and Accepted Masons, together with the Chapter and Council! 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 381 


of that order, and to Superior Lodge, Knights of Pythias. He has 
served as secretary of the Williams County Democratic Central Com- 
mittee and has been a member of its executive committee for the 
past ten years. He has taken a deep interest in educational matters and 
has rendered efficient and appreciated service as a member of the 
Montpelier school board. He is a splendid type of the self-made man, 
possessing to a marked degree the elements that make men successful, 
pre-eminent among his qualities being that sound judgment which is 
ordinarily called common sense, his good judgment extending to men 
as well as to measures, and he is deservedly popular among those who 
know him. 


James T. O’Bryan.—Montpelier is the home town of many 
Wabash Railroad men. One of these whose responsibilities give him 
distinction among this class of citizens is James T. O'Bryan, pay- 
master of the Wabash Railway in charge of the line between Detroit 
and Chicago. 

Mr. O’Bryan is a veteran railroader and has been with the Wabash 
Railway Company thirty-five years or more. He was born in Penn- 
sylvania March 27, 1867, but grew up in Adrian, Michigan, where he 
attended the public schools. At the age of seventeen he entered the 
local office of the Wabash Railroad at Adrian, learned telegraphy, and 
for five years had the duties and responsibilties of operator and agent 
at Adrian. He was then promoted to trainmaster and chief dispatcher 
and on November 30, 1899, was assigned to duties at Montpelier, and 
has been an honored resident of Williams County for twenty-one years. 

June 25, 1893, Mr. O’Bryan married Phoebe Durrin, of Butler, 
Indiana. She is a graduate of the Butler High School. Mr. and 
Mrs. O’Bryan have two daughters, Lorraine and Elizabeth, both of 
whom have received their education in the public schools of Montpelier. 
Mrs. O’Bryan is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and in 
politics he votes as a democrat. 


Wiuram W. FisHEer—An active, wide-awake and enterprising 
business man, William W. Fisher, of Edgerton, traveling salesman for 
the J. I. Case Threshing Company, is widely and favorably known 
throughout Northwestern Ohio, his territory embracing fourteen coun- 
ties in this section of the state. A native’of Williams County, he was 
born January 18, 1866, in Center Township, of German ancestry. 

George Fisher, his father, was born in Germany, and as a child 
came with his parents to this country, locating in Center Township, 


382 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


where he was reared and educated. Becoming a tiller of the soil, he 
bought land in Center Township soon after attaining his majority, and 
was there successfully employed in mixed husbandry until his death. 
His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Poorman, was born in 
Germany, but was brought up and educated in Center Township, Wil- 
liams County, Ohio, where her parents located after coming to the 
United States. Twelve children were born into their household, and’ 
eleven are now living, as follows: Ira, William W., Ella, Daniel, Jane, 
Charles, Clara, George, Cora, Grace and James. Both parents were 
members of the Lutheran Church. 

Having acquired a practical education in the district schools, Wil- 
liam W. Fisher later obtained an excellent knowledge of the art and 
science of agriculture while working with his father. Instead of 
adopting farming as an occupation, he worked with a threshing 
machine outfit until twenty-seven years of age, when he accepted his 
present position with the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company. As 
a traveling salesman Mr. Fisher has met with eminent success, his 
familiarity with the machines which he is so ably handling, and their 
construction, being of great advantage to him in his work. 

On February 6, 1894, Mr. Fisher was united in marriage with 
Cora B. Smith, a daughter of John P. and Almira (Spangler) Smith, 
both of whom were born and bred in Center Township, Williams 
County, the mother’s birth having occurred in 1846. The father was 
a farmer and a buyer and shipper of live stock. Mr. and Mrs. Smith 
were members of the United Brethren Church, and liberal contribu- 
tors toward its support. They reared six children, as follows: Reuben 
J., of Edgerton, Ohio; Charles S., of St. Joseph Township; Arthur 
E., of Edgerton; Cora B., now Mrs: Fisher; Harvey C., of Edgerton, 
and Maud J., wife of Mead Irish. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have no children of their own, but they 
brought up and educated a nephew, Andrew F-. Irish, who, after his 
graduation from the Edgerton High School, entered the Ohio State 
University, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of 
Arts. Enlisting for service in the World war, he was commissioned 
first lieutenant in the Aviation corps and at the present writing he is 
with the Cleveland Lamp Works, in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fisher are active members of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. Mrs. Fisher occupies a place of prominence in literary, 
social and fraternal and religious circles. She is vice president of the 
local Red Cross Society, and was active in the World war work. She 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 383 


belongs to the Home Culture Club, which she has served as secretary, 
and is president of the Ladies’ Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. She also belongs to the Rathbone Lodge, Pythian Sisters, 
in which she has passed all the chairs. 


Joun G. Katser—A prominent, substantial citizen of Williams 
County, who has important business interests in several directions, is 
John G. Kaiser, at one time the leading hardware merchant at Edon, 
Ohio. He was born on a farm in Florence Township, Williams 
County, Ohio, situated two miles north and one mile west of Edon, 
January 28, 1871, a son of John and Christina (Hieber) Kaiser. 

John Kaiser was born in Richland County, Ohio, going later to 
Crawford County and it was in that county that he was married to 
Christina Hieber. She was born in Germany and accompanied her par- 
ents to the United States and was reared on a farm in Crawford 
County, near Bucyrus. After marriage, John Kaiser and his wife came 
to Williams County, settling first on a farm in Florence Township one 
mile south of Edon. Later he bought the farm on which his son 
John G. Kaiser, was born, situated two miles north and one mile west 
of Edon, and when he sold that he bought what is known as the old 
Kaiser farm located one-half mile south of Edon. In later years he 
moved to Edon and his last years were spent there. For many years 
he was a prominent factor in county politics as a strong democrat, 
and filled public offices of responsibility, serving in such position as 
township treasurer. He and wife were members of the German Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. They had five children born to them, as 
follows: William F., who was long associated with his brother, John 
G., in the hardware business, died February 6, 1917; Elizabeth, who is 
the wife of Jacob Weber, of Defiance County, Ohio; John G.; Fred 
C., who is a dry goods merchant at Edon; and Christina, who is the 
wife of H. L. Shelline, of Edon. 

John G. Kaiser grew up on the farm but as the distance was so 
short he had the advantage of the Edon schools, and later he took a 
thorough course in bookkeeping at Fort Wayne, Indiana. When pre- 
pared to enter business, in association with his brother, the late Wil- 
liam F. Kaiser, he embarked in a general store enterprise at Blakeslee, 
Ohio, which the brothers continued for five years. In 1896 they 
entered the hardware business at Edon, under the name of the Edon 
Hardware Company, erecting a store building for the purpose,. and 
John G. Kaiser continued in that line of business until July, 1920, 
when he sold his interest, since which time he has given his time to 


384 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


various enterprises, among which may be mentioned his farm. For 
some years he also operated a lumber yard but sold that branch in 
1919. Mr. Kaiser has been actively concerned in many of the worthy 
business enterprises that have contributed to the progress and_develop- 
ment of Edon as a substantial business center. He was influential in 
bringing about the formation of the Williams County Telephone Com- 
pany and is one of its directors, and is a stockholder in the Edon State 
Bank, a solid financial institution of the county, of which Charles A, 
Bowersox is president, E. F. Brandon, vice president, and Arthur 
Mauerhan, cashier. 

In 1904 Mr. Kaiser was married to Miss Ethel Lash, and they have 
one daughter, Pauline, who was born November 9, 1905. This young 
lady is a junior in the Edon High School and takes a prominent part 
in school social affairs. Mr. Kaiser and his family belong to the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, he serving’on the official board ‘and for 
some years was superintendent of the Sunday School. In political 
life he has always been a democrat but has never accepted a public 
office, protesting that a man with so many business interests could not 
do justice to the duties that every public position demands. Mr. Kaiser 
owns the valuable old farm of 150 acres near Edon, on which he was 
mainly reared. Mr. Kaiser not only has the reputation of being on 
able and trustworthy business man but also a generous and public- 
spirited citizen. 


FREDERICK W. BEEK.—Few can draw rules for their own guidance 
from the pages of Plutarch, but all are benefited by the delineation of 
those traits of character which find scope and exercise in the common 
walks of life. The unostentatious routine of private life, although in 
the aggregate more important to the welfare of the community than 
any meteoric public career, cannot, from its very nature, figure in the 
public annals, though each locality’s history should contain the names 
of those individuals who contribute to the success of the material 
affairs of a community and in its public stability. In such a class must 
consistently appear the name of Frederick W. Beek, who holds the 
responsible position of yard conductor of the Wabash Railroad at 
Montpelier, and who has led a plain, industrious life, endeavoring to 
‘deal honestly with his fellow men and contribute somewhat to the 
general public good in an unobtrusive manner. 

Frederick W. Beek is a native of England, where he was born on 
February 26, 1866, and he is the son of Lewis and Ellen (Baker) 
Beek, both of whom were born, reared, educated and married in that 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 385 


country. In 1876 they came to the United States and located in 
Saratoga, New York, where the father engaged in farming. They 
returned to England, remaining there about ten years, when they 
again came to the United States. Frederick W. Beek went to 
Branch County, Michigan, where he lived on a farm with his 
parental grandfather Beek. He had attended school during his 
last stay in England and completed his educational training in Sara- 
toga County, New York, graduating from the high school at Ball- 
ston. He then was employed at various things until after his’ 
marriage, wher he located on a farm in Williams County, Ohio, 
which he rented for about seven and a half years. At the end of that 
period he came to Montpelier and entered the employ of the Wabash 
Railroad Company in the train service, his first work being as a brake- 
man. Soon afterwards he was promoted to the position of night yard 
master, then to day yard master, and finally to yard conductor, which 
position he is now filling. Persistent industry and faithful attention to 
duty have been the predominant traits which have gained success for 
Mr. Beek and he enjoys the confidence and esteem of his superiors 
and associates. He has been successful and owns his own home in 
Montpelier, as well as other valuable property here. 

_ Mr. Beek was married to Nettie Hilton, of Hillsdale County, 
Michigan, and they are the parents of three children, namely: John, 
who is a graduate of the Montpelier schools, is an electrician in that 
place ; Lola, who also is a graduate of the high school here, is the wife 
of Hoytt Lett, of Montpelier; William, graduated from the Mont- 
pelier High School, and during the World war was in the service, being 
located at Camp Sherman and Camp Meade. He was made sergeant 
clerk in the division railroad superintendent’s office. 

Politically, Mr. Beek has been a lifelong supporter of the democratic 
party and has taken an active interest in local public affairs, having 
served for two years as a member of the village council. Fraternally, 
he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows; in the last named order he has served as noble 
grand of Montpelier Lodge No. 547.- He and his wife are members 
of the Daughters of Rebekah, and both of their sons are members of 
the Masonic Order. The family are members of the United Brethren 
Church, to which they give liberal support. Personally, Mr. Beek is 
quiet and unassuming, but he possesses to a marked degree those qual- 
ities which win the esteem and friendship of those who come into 
contact with him and he is deservedly panes throughout the com- 


munity in which he lives. 
Vol. 11—25 


386 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY | 


NATHANIEL B. SANForD.—One of the foremost agriculturists of 
Springfield Township, not one better known in its history, Nathaniel 
B. Sanford is numbered among the sturdy, energetic and enterprising 
farmers of Williams County, and is contributing his full share in 
maintaining its reputation as a rich and productive agricultural region. 
A son of the late James C. Sanford, he is a native and to the manner 
born, his birth having occurred January 11, 1869, on the farm which 
he now owns and occupies, and which joins the farm on which his 
mother was born. 

Born in New York State, James C. Sanford came to Williams 
County, Ohio, when eighteen months old. After settling in Springfield 
Township he met, wooed and married Roanna Clark, January 2, 1861, 
and was subsequently engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, 
in 1897. He was a democrat in politics, was made a Mason in Illinois 
and was a member of Evansport Lodge No. 511, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sanford were active charter 
members of Springfield Grange. To him and his wife three children 
were born, as follows: Charles, who died in infancy; Eleanor, who 
in 1882, married J. J. Robinson died in 1892; and Nathaniel B., the 
special subject of this sketch. 

After leaving the common schools of his native township, Nathaniel 
B. Sanford completed his early education in the Fayette Normal School 
in the fall of 1885 and spring of 1886. Choosing the occupation of 
both his paternal and maternal ancestors, he gained an excellent knowl- 
edge of the various branches of agriculture while young, and has been 
successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising ever since. 
Succeeding to the ownership of the Sanford homestead, on which his 
mother spent her entire married life, and on which his father lived and 
labored successfully many years, Mr. Sanford is managing its 127 acres 
most successfully, as a general farmer and stock raiser, meeting with 
most gratifying results. He has also had other interests, having served 
as field man for the Continental Sugar Company for a time. 

Mr. Sanford married, in Williams County, Alice Bayes in 1889, 
who was born May 4, 1872, and educated in Pulaski Township, this 
county, and they have six children living, namely: Horace D., a farmer 
in Springfield Township, married Bethel Ellis; Mary, a graduate of 
both the Stryker High School and Denison University; Ellis O., of 
Springfield Township, married Luretta Moulton; James, born in 1903, © 
is a student of the Stryker High School; Roxanna, attending the 
Stryker High School, and Charles H., a school boy. 


t 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 387 


Politically, Mr. Sanford invariably supports the principles of the 
republican party. Religiously, both Mr. and Mrs. Sanford are active 
members of the Oak Grove Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally, 
Mr. Sanford is a member of Evansport Lodge No. 511, Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons; of Northwest Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch 
Masons, and of Defiance Commandery No. 30, which conferred the 
Knights Templar degree upon him and his son at the same time. He 
also belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star, of which Mrs. Sanford 
is worthy matron. Mr. Sanford is greatly interested in the Spring- 
field Grange, of which he is an active member and past master, and a 
member of the Williams County Agricultural Society. 


Henry D. Fix—While some of the agriculturists of Williams 
County are specializing on some one line, the majority find it more 
profitable, all things considered, to do a general farming and stock 
raising business, and some of them are attaining really remarkable 
results. One of the progressive farmers of this class worthy of men- 
tion in a work of this high character, is Henry D. Fix, of Florence 
Township. 

Henry D. Fix was born in Florence Township, February 26, 1867, 
a son of Martin and Mary (Fetters) Fix, natives of Alsace, France, 
and Pennsylvania, respectively. Martin Fix came to the United States 
with his patents and after a period spent in New York State, located 
in Center Township, Williams County, Ohio. The grandfather lived 
on his farm until his death, following which the grandmother began 
living with her sons, and so continued until she, too, was claimed by 
death. Martin Fix was about ten years old when the family came to 
this country, and he was reared on the homestead which was about 
one mile west of Melbern, Ohio.. After he married he located on a 
farm in Florence Township and lived there until he retired when he 
went to Toledo, Ohio, and there passed away. Both he and his wife 
were church members and good, Christian people. Of their seven 
children, six survive, namely: Ida, who is the wife of William Mourey 
of Wooster, Ohio; Henry D.; Zora, living at Edon with her mother ; 
Irene, who is the wife of John White ; Belle, who is the wife of Samuel 
Anspaugh, and Hiram, who is a farmer of Northwest Township. 
Sarah, who is deceased, was the eldest. 

Henry D. Fix was reared in his native township, and remained at 
home until he was twenty-eight years of age. On February 26, 1895, 
he was married to Nellie Coldsnow, who was born in Florence Town- 
ship, June 8, 1875, and educated in the district and high schools and 


Vol. 1I—26 


388 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


was a school teacher. Following his marriage Mr. Fix rented a farm 
in Florence Township for three years, and then bought one in Bridge- 
water Township, but sold it in three years and bought another one in 
Jefferson Township. Seven years later he sold it and bought seventy- 
nine acres two miles north and one-half a mile east of Edon, and here 
he has since continued to live and carry on his general farming and 
stock raising. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fix have the following children: Mabel, who was 
graduated from the Edon High School, is the wife of Fred Gearhart ; 
Herman, who was graduated from the Edon High School, is at home; 
Ina, who was also graduated from the Edon High School; Hazel, who 
is at home, and Audrey, who is attending the public schools. Mr. Fix 
and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Edon. He 
is a member of Edon Lodge No. 644, Knights of Pythias. In politics 
he is a republican. Like a number of his neighbors he belongs to the 
Farmers’ Co-operative Association at Edon. 


Joun P. Arnotp.—The name of John P. Arnold, of Jefferson 
Township, Williams County, does not need to be introduced to the 
readers of this chronicle, for it has been intertwined with the history 
of this locality for a number of years. The splendid success which has 
come to him is directly traceable to the salient points in the character, 
for his great energy, keen discrimination and perseverance have 
resulted in the accumulation of a handsome property and he is now 
numbered among the substantial citizens of his section of the county. 

John P. Arnold was born in Richland County, Ohio, August 28, 
1852, and is the son of George and Margaretha (Gilger) Arnold. The 
mother was a native of Germany, whence she came with her parents 
to the United States, settling near Rome, Richland County Ohio. 
George Arnold was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, and in his 
boyhood was brought by his parents to Richland County, Ohio, where 
he grew to manhood, received his education in the district schools 
and was married. In 1875 George and Margaretha Arnold came to 
Williams County and bought 240 acres of land in section 30, Jeffer- 
son Township, where he carried on farming operations during the 
remainder of his life, his death occuring in 1900. His widow is still 
living and resides in Bryan. They were members of the United 
Brethren Church and Mr. Arnold gave his support to the democratic 
party. They became the parents of eleven children, of which number 
ten are living, namely: John P., the immediate subject of this review; 
Jacob, who lives in Richland County, Ohio; Wesley, of Bryan, Ohio; 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY , 389 


William, of West Unity, Ohio; George, a farmer in Jefferson Town- 
ship; Oscar, of Bryan; Caroline, the wife of Stephen Dusten; Mary, 
wife of Hezekiah Post; Ella, wife of Harry Davenport of Medina, 
Ohio; and Emma, who is unmarried and lives at home. 

John P. Arnold was reared on the paternal farmstead in Richland 
County, Ohio, and received his education in the public schools of that 
county. He remained at home until about twenty-two years of age, 
when he started to farm on his own account.and has been successful 
in his operations. He is now the owner of 104 acres of excellent land 
in Jefferson Township, this county, on which he is carrying on general 
farming operations, in connection with which he also gives some atten- 
tion to the raising of live stock. His farm is well improved in every 
respect, the buildings on the place being of substantial construction and 
well suited for up to date farming. He is methodical and systematic 
in his work and is accounted a thoroughly practical man in all he 
undertakes. 

Mr. Arnold married January 27, 1876, Nancy Johnston. The 
Johnstons were a family of early settlers in Williams County, her 
parents being Joseph and Hannah (Gaskill) Johnston. Joseph John- 
ston was born July 1, 1818, in Columbiana County, Ohio, and married 
Hannah Gaskill March 26, 1846. They moved to Williams County in 
the spring of 1852. Hannah Gaskill Johnston was born May 22, 1825, 
at Alliance, Stark County, Ohio. The children of Joseph Johnston 
and wife in order of birth were: Mrs. Elizabeth A. Shankster, born 
January 13, 1847; John M. Johnston, born August 29, 1848; Rebecca 
J., born October 12, 1850; Mrs. Martha E. Harrington, born December 
9, 1853; Mrs. Nancy Arnold, born April 22, 1856; Mrs. Alice House- 
man, born September 1, 1858; Thomas, born December 24, 1860; Miss 
Hannah Louisa Johnston, born July. 29, 1863; Miss Mary Malisea 
Johnston, born August 18, 1864, and Joseph Francis Johnston, born 
January 23, 1867. Mrs. Elizabeth A. Shankster, John M. Johnston and 
Rebecca J. Johnston were born at Alliance, Stark County, Ohio, and 
the remaining children in Superior Township, Williams County, Ohio. 

To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold were born three children. 
Two are living, Joseph W., at home, and Margaretha R., wife of Lewis 
F. Bowman. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman have one son, Gayle. Politically, 
Mr. Arnold gives his support to the democratic party and takes an 
intelligent interest in local public affairs, supporting all movements for 
the public welfare. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. Mr. Arnold’s success in life has been the legitimate fruitage 
of consecutive effort, directed and controlled by good judgment and 
correct principles and he is held in high esteem by all who know him. 


390 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Cuartes W. Mooc is a successful business man of Bryan, a 
dealer in hay, straw, grain and coal, and owns and operates the eleva- ~ 
tor at Kunkle, in Williams County. His career covers a broad range 
of business experience, as a farmer, sawmill operator, and in his - 
present field. 

He was born in Defiance County, Ohio, July 16, 1864, of French 
and German ancestry. David Moog, his father, was born, reared and 
educated in Alsace-Lorraine, France, and married a native of that 
country, Catherine Klutz. Soon after their marriage they came to the 
United States, and David Moog bought land in Washington Township, 
Defiance County. On the farm which he improved he and his wife 
spent the remainder of their lives. They had eight children, seven of 
whom are still living. Three of them live at Bryan, Charles W. and 
J. A. Moog, and Catherine, wife of Joseph Svoboda. David Moog 
was a democrat in politics, and was a German Lutheran in religious 
faith, while his wife was a Catholic. 

Brought up on the home farm in Washington Township, Defiance 
County, Charles W. Moog attended the winter terms of district school 
and otherwise had ample exercise for his strength and maturing judg-_ 
ment in the work of the farm. When he started the battle of life on 
his own account he worked on a farm as a laborer two years. From 
farm work he became an employe of a sawmill, and in March, 1887, 
bought the plant and continued active in the sawmill and lumber busi- 
ness until December, 1899. At that date he moved to the old home- 
stead farm he had bought, and for five years his business activities 
were concentrated on the operation of the farm in Washington Town- 
ship. Selling it he removed to Bryan, where he had developed a very 
extensive business as a dealer in grain and hay, and through his ele- 
vator at Kunkle furnishes an important medium for the storage and 
distribution of grain raised in that section of Williams County. 

April 20, 1890, Mr. Moog married Miss Fannie E. Wieland, who 
was born in Tiffin Township, Defiance County, August 9, 1869. Her 
father, J. G. Wieland, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, November 
5, 1823, and was a child when brought by his parents to the United 
States. He grew up and married in New York state, and soon after- 
ward came with his wife to Defiance County, Ohio, locating in Tiffin 
Township. His first wife died there in early womanhood. He subse- 
quently married Sarah A. Moon, who was born in Tiffin Township 
July 18, 1838. The Wielands were a prominent family in that section — 
of Defiance County. J. G. Wieland died August 9, 1906, when in his. 
eighty-third year. His wife Sarah died April 27, 1910, at the age of 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 391 


seventy-one years, nine months, nine days. She was the mother of 
six children: Eveline, wife of S. B. Figley, of Evansport, Ohio; 
Christ B. of Syracuse, New York; George B., of Springfield Town- 
ship, Williams County; Hattie, wife of John Core, of Sherwood, 
Ohio: Cora, wife of Charles Black of Evansport; and Mrs. Fannie 
E. Moog. 

Mr. and Mrs. Moog have one child, Gladys Olive, a high school 
graduate whose accomplishments as a musician are greatly admired. 
’ The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Mr. Moog is a democrat and a keen observer of politics and affairs 
both in his home locality and in the nation. Fraternally he is affiliated 
with Bryan Lodge No. 215, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and 
he and his wife and daughter are members of the Eastern Star. 


REUBEN J. SmirH.—A man of energy and enterprise, prosperous 
and progressive, thoroughly acquainted with all branches of agricul- 
ture, Reuben J. Smith is considered an authority on everything con- 
nected with farm productions, being a specialist in hay, grain, coal, 
wood and seeds, in all of which he is an extensive dealer. A son of 
John Smith, he was born, February 18, 1863, in Center Township, 
Williams County, and there grew to man’s estate. 

A native of Williams County, John Smith was reared to agricul- 
tural pursuits. Naturally choosing farming as his life occupation, he 
bought land in Center Township, and was industriously employed in 
tilling the soil during the remainder of his years. He was a repub- 
lican in politics, and a faithful member of the church. His wife, whose 
maiden name was Almira Spangler, was born in Center Township, 
Williams County. Six children were born of their marriage, as fol- 
lows: Reuben J., with whom this sketch is chiefly concerned; Charles 
E., of St. Joseph Township; Arthur E., of Edgerton; Harvey, of 
Edgerton; Nora, wife of W. W. Fisher, and Maud, wife of W. M. 
Irish, of Edgerton. 

Acquiring his early education in the rural schools of Center Town- 
ship, Reuben J. Smith was well drilled in the various branches of agri- 
culture when young, and at the age of seventeen years, being the eldest 
child of the parental household, was forced to assume the management 
of the home farm. He subsequently attended the Fayette Normal 
School, and later embarked in mercantile pursuits, becoming widely 
known as a specialist in hay, grain, coal, wood, seeds and kindred 
productions, in which he is an extensive dealer. 


392 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


Mr. Smith married Jessie B. Bratton, and their only child, Ber- 
nice, married Ross Tomlinson, an employee of the Auburn Auto Com- 
pany, at Auburn, Indiana, and has one child, Ruth Jeane. Politically, 
Mr. Smith is a straightforward republican. Fraternally he belongs to 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a charter member 
of the Edgerton Lodge, Knights of Pythias. 


Emery E. Strayer—While Emery E. Strayer of Maplewood 
Farm in Bridgewater has engaged in other lines of business and has 
lived in other communities, he is interested in all movements calcu- 
lated to better the conditions surrounding agriculture. Maplewood 
Farm is five miles northeast of Montpelier. Mr. Strayer was born 
October 6, 1867, in Jefferson Township, Williams County. He is a 
son of D. W. and Orphana (Cummins) Strayer, the father born March 
12, 1841, and the mother October 6, 1847, both natives of Williams 
County. D. W. Strayer was a Civil war soldier in Company H, 
Thirty-Eighth Ohio Volunteers, and was two years in the service. 
Mrs. Strayer died in 1904; they were members of the United Brethren 
Church and he votes with the republican party. Their children are: 
Emery E. Strayer, who relates the family history, and A. M. and 
E. M. Strayer. 

While E. E. Strayer was reared on a farm, when he began doing 
for himself he engaged in different things. For a time he clerked in 
a clothing store in Montpelier, and later he and his brother, A. M. 
Strayer, purchased it and operated it under the name Strayer Broth- 
ers. When he sold it he engaged in the real estate business at Law- 
renceburg, Tennessee, then he bought the Hub Dry Goods Store and 
a year later he traded it for a farm in Ashtabula County. After one 
year in Ashtabula County Mr. Strayer returned to Williams County 
and bought Maplewood Farm in Bridgewater Township, where he 
lives today. 

On November 12, 1894, Mr. Strayer married Belle Hodson. She 
is a daughter of George and Emma (Back) Hodson, her parents 
natives of Bridgewater, and she was educated in Montpelier public. 
schools. They have one daughter, Ruby Belle Strayer. The family 
attend the United Brethren Church and Mr. Strayer is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias lodges 
in Montpelier, and of Bridgewater Grange. They are members of the 
Rebekah Lodge and Mrs. Strayer is past noble grand of the Rebekahs. 
Mr. Strayer is republican in politics and is actively interested in all 
farmer organizations in Williams County. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 393 


H. E. Ripcway.—There are few farmers of Williams County who 
have met with more encouraging success here than H. E. Ridgway, 
one of those sturdy characters who has contributed largely to the 
material welfare of the community in which he resides, being a mod- 
ern agriculturist and a citizen public-spirited and progressive in all 
that the terms imply. Such a man is a credit to any community and 
his life forcibly illustrates what effort and consecutive effort can 
accomplish when directed and controlled by correct principles. 

H. E. Ridgway, whose fine property, known as the Clover Leaf 
Stock Farm, consisting of 280 acres, is located in section 24, Jefferson 
Township, was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, on November 31, 
1871, and is the son of William and Sarah (Wade) Ridgway. Both 
of these parents were natives of Pennsylvania, but were married after 
their removal to Tuscarawas County. They settled near New Phila- 
delphia, where Mr. Ridgway engaged in farming until 1881, when he 
moved to Henry County, locating on a farm near West Hope. About 
four and a half years later he moved to Paulding County, settling on 
a tract of forty-four acres in the midst of a dense timber tract. He 
cleared that tract, developing it into a good farm, and lived there 
twenty-five years. In 1908 he sold that farm at a handsome profit, 
and bought a farm in Defiance County, about eight miles southeast of 
Bryan, where he spent the remainder of his days. He was a member 
of the United Brethren Church and a republican in his political align- 
ment. To him and his wife were born five children, of whom three 
survive, namely: Charles, of Bryan; H. E., the subject of this sketch, 
and Elmer, of Bryan. 

H. E. Ridgway was reared on the parental homestead in Paulding 
County until fourteen years of age, and received the advantage of a 
limited attendance at school. Before he was twenty years of age he 
went to work out by the month, for which he was paid at the beginning 
$6.50 a month, which was eventually increased to $18 a month. After 
his marriage, which occurred in 1895, he bought twenty acres of land, 
for which he paid $15 an acre. This land he cleared up, put in 
good shape for cultivation, and then sold for $80 an acre. With this 
start, he then bought eighty acres of land in Paulding County, which 
he operated for six years and then sold, this also at a good advance 
over the purchase price. His next farm consisted of 119 acres sit- 
uated four miles south of Bryan, which he sold four years later 
and then bought the splendid place which he now owns and which is 
generally considered one of the best improved and most productive 
farms in Jefferson Township. Mr. Ridgway carries on general farm- 


394 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


ing operations, in connection with which he gives considerable atten- 
tion to the raising of livestock. Progressive, up-to-date and practical 
in everything he undertakes, he has been successful to a gratifying 
degree and is now numbered among the substantial men of his locality. 

On June 9, 1895, Mr. Ridgway was married to Christie J. Whitaker, 
. who was born and reared in Ohio and educated in the public schools. 
They have become the parents of six children, namely: Virgil, a mem- 
ber of the Knights of Pythias lodge, who enlisted for service in the 
United States Army during the World war, but was not ordered over- 
seas, having been in hospital for five months, lives at home; Denver, 
at home; Alice, the wife of Edward Rhodes; Fremont, at home; Ger- 
trude; Lee, at home. 

Politically, Mr. Ridgway is a stanch supporter of the republican 
party, while fraternally he is a member of West Unity Lodge, Knights 
of Pythias. He has consistently supported every enterprise for the 
material, civic or moral advancement of the community. He is a stock- 
holder in the Pulaski Grain Elevator and in the Farmers State Bank, 
at West Unity. Having devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, by 
close application and habits of industry and frugality, his efforts were - 
rewarded with a degree of success which has now placed him in pos- 
session of one of the choice farms of Williams County and surrounded 
with the comforts and conveniences of life. He also owns a nice resi- 
dence property in Bryan. Because of his success and his fine personal 
character he is universally respected and esteemed throughout the 
community. 


E. A. GEAUQUE during the last two decades has developed many 
important interests directly related to the welfare and progress of the 
Town of Edgerton, including the Edgerton Telephone Company, which 
he founded and of which he is manager. 

Mr. Geauque was born in Milford Township March 16, 1872, son 
of A. A. and Mary Ellen (Smith) Geauque, the former a native of 
Holmes County and the latter of Wayne County, Ohio. The Geauque 
and Smith families were among the pioneers of Williams County, the 
former locating in St. Joseph Township and the Smiths in Edgerton. 
A. A. Geauque and wife grew up from childhood in Williams County, 
were married there, and for a number of years lived on a farm in 
Defiance County. The father is a member of the Church of God and 
the mother was a Methodist. There were three children in the family 
but E. A. Geauque is the only one living. The mother died in Decem- 
ber. 1879, at the age of thirty years. 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 395 


E. A. Geauque spent his early life on a farm, attended the schools 
of Edgerton, and as a boy learned telegraphy. For four years he was 
employed as an operator by the Lake Shore Railway. In 1899 
Mr. Geauque established a telephone exchange at Edgerton, that being 
an individual enterprise and entirely on his own capital. He continued 
its operation, gradually extending its facilities until April, 1905, when 
he organized the Edgerton Telephone Company. He is president of 
the company, Dr. W. W. Unger is the vice-president, J. E. Harmon 
is the secretary and Jacob Zebb the treasurer. The other director, 
besides the executive officers, is David Koener. 

Mr. Geauque and Gordon Williamson also own the telephone 
exchange at Roanoke, Indiana, and Mr. Geauque is president of the 
St. Joe Telephone Company at St. Joe, Indiana. He is a director in 
the Farmers Commercial Bank at Edgerton, a director in the Oak 
Manufacturing Company, and is a member of the board of directors 
of the Peoples Efficient Publishing Company of Cleveland. These 
several enterprises represent the fruits of his increasing experience 
and his ability to successfully administer business affairs. 

Mr. Geauque established the entire electric light plant at Edgerton, 
Blakeslee and Edon and operated these plants until a few years ago. 

In 1902 Mr. Geauque married Miss Anna Gebhard, an Edgerton 
girl, and she has taken an active part in his business enterprises and 
has been of great assistance to her husband. 


Eimer S. Jounson.—There could be no more comprehensive his- 
tory written of a community, or even of a state and its people, than that 
which deals with the life work of those who, by their own endeavor 
and indomitable energy, have placed themselves where they well 
deserve the title of “progressive,” and in this sketch will be found the 
record of one who outstripped the less active plodders on the highway 
of life, one who was not subdued by the many obstacles and failures 
that came to everyone, but who made them stepping stones to higher 
things, and at the same time that Mr. Johnson was winning his way 
to the front in agricultural affairs he gained a reputation for upright- 
ness and honor. He was one of the worthy native sons of Williams 
County, who wisely decided to spend his life on his native soil, rather 
than seek uncertain fortune elsewhere, and he thus was identified with 
the growth of the same and played well his part in its development. 

Elmer S. Johnson, who in addition to being a successful general 
farmer, enjoyed the distinction of being the largest grower of soy beans 
in the United States, was born in Springfield Township, Williams 


396 HISTORY, OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


County, on February 14, 1879, and was the son of Simon and Lucinda 
(Wieland) Johnson, the former a native of Fulton County, Ohio, and 
the latter of Defiance County, Ohio. The subject’s paternal grand- 
father, George Johnson, owned and operated the Johnson gristmill, the 
first mill of the kind in Williams County and to which the early settlers 
‘came for miles around to get their grain converted into meal or flour. 
Mr. George Johnson met his death by accident in this same mill. He 
was a man of more than ordinary ability and strength of character and 
was the leading citizen of his community. His son, Simon Johnson, 
also took an active part in the business, in connection with which he 
carried on farming operations. 

Elmer S. Johnson was reared on the home farm and attended the 
district schools, completing his elementary studies in the Stryker High 
School, where he was graduated in 1892. During the following seven 
years he was engaged in teaching school, at the end of which time he 
entered the Tri-State Normal College, at Angola, Indiana, where he 
took the scientific and commercial courses, graduating with the degrees 
Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commercial Science. On his re- 
turn home he was married, and soon afterwards began farming on 
rented land, one of his father’s farms. His first distinct venture was in 
corn, but he soon found that corn was not the ideal crop for this land, 
and in 1904 he began experimenting in the growing of soy beans. His 
first seed was obtained from Ohio State University and Purdue Uni- 
versity of Indiana, and his first crops were so successful that he deter- 
mined to go into the raising of soy beans on an extensive scale. He care- 
fully selected his seed and studied the growth of the bean from every 
angle, so that he was able to produce a bean far above the average bean 
in every respect, the plant growing from thirty-two to thirty-six inches 
high. He grew an average of 250 acres annually of soy beans and 
shipped the seed to every state in the Union, as well as to many for- 
eign countries. In addition to beans, Mr. Johnson was engaged in 
growing other grains, always maintaining the highest possible standard 
of excellence. Altogether he operated 523 acres of land and was con- 
sidered the largest general farmer in Williams County, enjoying an 
excellent reputation for his enterprise and for his constant insistence 
on the highest standards in his products. 

On March 26, 1903, Mr. Johnson was married to Anna Young. 
They were both members of the Christian Church, Mr. Johnson hold- 
ing his membership in the church at Angola, Indiana. Fraternally, he 
was a member of Evansport Lodge No. 511, Free and Accepted 
Masons; Northwest Chapter No. 45, Royal Arch Masons; Defiance 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 397 


Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar; Zenobia Temple, Ancient 
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Toledo, Ohio; Stryker 
Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and with his wife, belonged to the Order 
of the Eastern Star and the Pythian Sisters. He was also a member 
of the Grange, while his political support was given to the democratic 
party. Mr. Johnson was considered an authority in the production of 
grains, and had been employed by the state to do special work among 
the farmers along the line of higher standards in grains. Every year 
he spent from four to ten weeks in Farmers’ Institute work and was 
a very popular talker on agricultural subjects. He wds president of 
the- Williams County Farm Bureau, a director of the local telephone 
company. Essentially public spirited in his attitude toward all move- 
ments for the advancement of the general welfare, Mr. Johnson had 
earned the respect of the entire community. 

Elmer S. Johnson died February 22, 1920, at Columbus, Ohio, of 
influenza-pneumonia, while being engaged in farm institute work. 
Funeral services were conducted by the Knights Templar of Defiance, 
Ohio. He left a wife and one child, Anna Bell, born December 9, 1919. 


Cuartes A. Bowersox, for all his varied activities and interests 
as Judge of the Williams County Court of Common Pleas, banker, 
lawyer, business man and farmer, yet finds time to act as supervising 
editor of this History of Williams County, has been a resident of the 
county nearly three-quarters of a century and has always been pos- 
sessed of a reverence for things and persons historical, not only in his 
own family and county, but in state and nation. 

Judge Bowersox was born in St. Joseph Township, Williams 
County, October 16, 1846, one of eight children, the only other sur- 
vivor being his brother, John W. Bowersox, also of Williams County. 
The father, John Warner Bowersox, was born in Baltimore County, 
Maryland, January 10, 1808, of an ancestry described as Pennsylvania 
German. A shoemaker, he followed his trade in and about Frederick 
County, Maryland, and Adams County, Pennsylvania, until about 
twenty-two. At Taneytown, Maryland, he married Mary Jane Breck- 
enridge, who was born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, not far from 
Gettysburg, in September 1810. She was of Scotch-Irish descent, of 
a very religious Presbyterian family, and was a connection of one 
branch of the Breckenridge iamily that went to Kentucky, where the 
Breckenridges have long been distinguished in politics, the professions 
and business. Soon after his marriage John Warner Bowersox and 
wife removed to North Industry, a village about four miles south of 


398 HISTORY (ORF WILEIAMS COUNDY. 


Canton, Ohio. They lived there about seven years, during which time 
he continued his trade. Three children were born there, one dying 
in infancy, and the others accompanying their parents to St. Joseph 
Township, Williams County, Ohio, in October, 1838. In Williams 
County the father engaged in farming and lived here until his death, 
‘April 14, 1890. His good wife died on the old farm in 1867. 

Charles A. Bowersox grew up at the old homestead, attended the 
common schools of St. Joseph Township, taught seven terms of dis- 
trict school there, after which he entered Otterbein University at Wes- 
terville, Ohio, taking the full classical course and graduating Bachelor 
of Arts, June 10, 1874. Three years later he received his Master’s 
degree, and years after that returned to his alma mater and was acting 
president of the college from August, 1890, until June, 1892. Begin- 
ning August 17, 1874, for two years he was superintendent of the 
public schools of Edgerton in Williams County. While in that post 
he was nominated and elected Probate Judge of Williams County, 
serving three full years from January 1, 1876, until December 31, 1879. 
In the meantime he studied law and was admitted to the bar and began 
practice in September, 1879, with Hon. Edward Foster. Their part- 
nership was terminated by the death of Mr. Foster in 1883. After 
that Judge Bowersox continued in law practice with some intermis- 
sions until January 1, 1917. 

The Civil war closed before he was nineteen years of age and his 
only military record is as an honorary member of the Thirty-Eighth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry. However, he was old enough to appreciate 
the grandeur of the character and service of Abraham Lincoln, and is 
probably the best informed man in Williams County on the life and 
times of the great President. Mr. Bowersox. has been a popular 
speaker on many occasions, and his favorite subject is Abraham Lin- 
coln. In politics he has been a republican, with an exalted conception 
of the duties of the party, and has been radical to the extent of an 
implacable hatred of human slavery and an ardent espousal of the 
cause of temperance. His prohibition views have doubtless interfered 
at times with his political ambitions, but he has never been known to 
yield his convictions for expediency. Until he took his place on the 
bench he was in almost every campaign of his party, made a great 
many speeches, and in the campaign of 1896 delivered about thirty 
speeches in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio under the appointment of the 
National Committee. 

Following his service as Probate Judge he was elected in the fall 
of 1881 to the lower house of the State Legislature, serving one term 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 399 


of two sessions. The governor of Ohio at that time was Charles Fos- 
ter, afterwards secretary of the United States Treasury. In April, 
1883, Governor Foster appointed Mr. Bowersox common pleas judge 
of the second subdivision of the Third Judicial District of Ohio to 
fill a portion of the unexpired term of S. N. Owen, elected to the 
supreme bench. The subdivision was hopelessly democratic and 
Mr. Bowersox was not a candidate for re-election. Then followed 
over twenty years of devotion to law practice and business. In the 
fall of 1907 he was again elected to the Legislature, serving two ses- 
sions and being present and taking part in the election of T. E. Bur- 
ton of Cleveland, Ohio, to the United States Senate. In the fall of 
1916 Mr. Bowersox was nominated and elected as common pleas judge 
of Williams County, which then constituted a judicial district, and he 
has presided over all the sessions of this court for the past four years. 

Even without the honors and success of his professional career 
Judge Bowersox would be known as one of Williams County’s best 
business men. He has been a farm owner and farm manager, has been 
a merchant, manufacturer and banker. With H. F. Bruns he com- 
prised the Bruns-Bowersox Lumber Company, serving as its presi- 
dent. This company owned and controlled large tracts of timber land 
on the Ohio River and in the southeastern part of Illinois, and they 
conducted several lines of business on the Ohio River under several 
firm names, with Mr. Bowersox as president. He was also a stock- 
holder and is a director and vice president of the Stryker Boat, Oar 
and Lumber Company, at Stryker. In 1881 he was elected a director 
of the Farmers National Bank of Bryan, served several years as its 
vice president, and was then elected president, filling that office by 
repeated election annually until he retired in January, 1919. He also 
served as president of the First National Bank of Montpelier until 
obliged to retire on account of overwork. He helped organize the 
Edon Bank, a partnership institution, finally incorporated, and for 
at least fifteen years has been president of this prosperous institution 
now known as the Edon State Bank Company. About twelve years 
ago he helped organize the Edgerton State Bank Company, was elected 
a director and for several years wa's vice president, and for the past 
ten consecutive years has been president. 

In spite of the tremendous duties imposed by this program of busi- 
ness and professional duties, Judge Bowersox has found time to write 
for various papers, especially in a reminiscent and historical way, and 
has assisted in producing several histories of his native county and of 
the Northwest. He is a Knight Templar Mason and for five years 


400 HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 


has been principal conductor of its work. If he has slighted any of 
life’s interests it is clubs and organizations. He is a lover of singing 
and has had some connections with singing societies. In early life he 
was united with the church of the United Brethren in Christ, graduat- 
ing from its oldest college, which, as noted, he served two years as 
' acting president, but since then has attended the Presbyterian Church 
in his community and is a teacher of the men’s class in the Sabbath 
school. 

June 10, 1875, at Westerville Judge Bowersox married Laura 
Alice Jarvis, and their companionship begun in youth has endured 
forty-five years. She was the only daughter of Samuel and Lydia 
Jarvis. Her parents during their lives were devout members and 
both died in the faith of the church of the United Brethren in Christ. 
Her father for a number of years had been a general merchant at 
West Lebanon, in Wayne County, Ohio, and after retiring moved to 
Westerville, and for a time was in the hardware business there. His 
wife died at Westerville, and he then came to live with his daughter 
at Bryan and was in the home of Judge and Mrs. Bowersox for four- 
teen years. At his death he was laid to rest with his wife, son and 
little daughter in the Otterbein Cemetery at Westerville. This ceme- 
etry also contains the honored grave of Ben R. Hanby, author of the 
immortal melody, Darling Nellie Gray. Mrs. Bowersox graduated at 
Otterbein in June, 1875. Her married life has been devoted to her 
home and children and the cultivation of some exceptionally artistic 
talents. She has taken many lessons with special masters, and excels 
in landscape and china painting. Her own home at Bryan and the 
homes of her children and friends contain some interesting examples 
of her art. 

Judge and Mrs. Bowersox have two children. Their son Charles 
R., born March 28, 1886, at Bryan, has been engaged in manufactur- 
ing lines but is now planning to devote his time to banking. He 
married Lenore Grant, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Grant. Her 
father was formerly a banker at Pioneer, Ohio, but recently disposed 
of his interests and is now in Washington and California. The 
daughter Helene Jarvis Bowersox was born in Bryan August 18, 1896, 
is the wife of Wayne Burke of Edon, Ohio. Mr. Burke is a farmer 
and dairyman. Judge Bowersox’s only grandchild is Joan Jarvis 
Burke, born at Edon on the birthday of her father October 16, 1920. 

Judge Bowersox is one of many men who find renewed strength 
in association with the affairs of the past. In his own life the center 
of these associations is the old ancestral estate where he was born and 


HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY 401 


which now consists of about 220 acres. His birthplace was a log 
cabin in the woods on that land, and he was nearly old enough to 
vote before he went away from the old home. In the house yet stand- 
ing his father and mother, two-sisters and a brother died, all in the 
same room. The estate is a beautiful and quaint old farm with groves 
and forest covering it in part. Judge Bowersox prizes the farm very 
greatly. Substantially all the old furniture, beds, bedding, books, 
tables and chairs, a part of all its history, yet remain. It is less than 
fifteen miles from Bryan and he and his family and friends make fre- 
quent visits there and take meals in the old dining room, eat off the 
old plates, and sit at the old table. He keeps renters upon the farm, 
but largely manages it himself. In the rooms so sacred to memory 
are books, pictures, beds, carpets and furniture as ancient as can well 
be found. One article is a cooking stove bought as early as 1854, and 
the only stove for like service the farm has ever known. 


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